Offspring of patients with affective disorders

All the children (ages 5-15) of 14 consecutive patients admitted to hospital at the National Institute of Mental Health with a diagnosis of bipolar or unipolar affective disorder were studied. The children were seen twice, four months apart, and assessed by an interview and rating scales. The parents were also assessed. Of 14 boys, five were depressed on both interviews and three were depressed on one interview. Four of the 16 girls were depressed on both interviews and 11 were depressed on one interview. The clinical picture and the ratings showed the boys, but not the girls, to have a significant correlation for depression on both interviews. The children diagnosed as suffering from depression showed the symptoms of a primary unipolar affective disorder without other significant pathology.