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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Morbid Risks in Relatives of Affective, Schizoaffective, and Schizophrenic Patients — Results of a Family Study

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Affective disorders have been the major focus of recent family studies; the results of many family studies agree as regards the increased morbid risks for family members of patients with affective disorders and the distinction between unipolar and bipolar affective disorders. However, in spite of the large number of family studies that have been done there are still some unsettled problems, such as the association of delusional unipolar depression and bipolar depression (Weissman et al. 1986), the relationship of anxiety disorders and depressive disorders in families (Leckman et al. 1983), and the modeling of the association between depression and alcoholism in families (Merikangas et al. 1985; Winokur et al. 1979). Except for these problems, the patterns of affective disorders in families are quite well understood.