A controlled family study in panic disorder.

Abstract There are only a few family studies in panic disorder. Although there is some evidence that panic disorder is familial, the exact figures of the familial risk for this disorder are at variance across different studies; the impact of comorbidity and of the gender of relatives is also unclear. Family studies in panic disorder controlling for the comorbidity in probands are therefore indicated. This study presents the morbid risks in families of 40 “pure” panic disorder probands (DSM-III-R) without a history of psychotic disorders, major depression or alcoholism compared with families of 80 controls recruited in the general population. The relative frequency of panic disorder (DSM-III…