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The familial relationship between panic disorder and unipolar depression
W Maier1, J Minges, D Lichtermann
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, F.R.G.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Panic disorder and unipolar depression share some familial factors, but their co-occurrence does not indicate a distinct subtype. Familial links suggest shared genetic influences, but non-familial factors play a larger role in comorbidity.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Panic disorder and unipolar depression frequently co-occur.
- Understanding shared familial factors is crucial for etiological insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate shared familial factors between panic disorder and unipolar depression.
- To determine if comorbid panic disorder and unipolar depression represent a distinct familial subtype.
Main Methods:
- Controlled family study comparing prevalence rates in relatives of probands with panic disorder, unipolar depression, both, or neither.
- Direct interviews and family history data collected from 1046 relatives.
Main Results:
- Both panic disorder and unipolar depression showed familial aggregation.
- Modest overlap in familial components was observed, with relative risks of 2.3 and 1.8 for cross-disorder familial risk.
- Comorbidity did not define a distinct familial subtype.
Conclusions:
- Familial factors contribute to the comorbidity of panic disorder and unipolar depression, but likely explain only a portion of cases.
- Non-familial factors are significant contributors to the observed comorbidity between these disorders.