Manic-depressive illness in three generations of one family: a case study

Two brothers presented for simultaneous admission for acute episodes of manic-depressive illness. Both had hospitalizations documented in the past for acute episodes. A family tree was constructed based on interviews with them as well as other family members and it was determined retrospectively that their father had a history of manic-depressive illness. Furthermore, the son of one of the brothers was also found to the affected. The findings for this family are inconsistent with the theory of X-linked inheritance of manic-depressive illness and adds to the growing criticism of that theory.