Manic-Depressive Illness: A Comparative Study of Patients with and Without a Family History

Abstract

Early studies (21, 22, 25, 12) have pointed to a genetic component in the aetiology of manic-depressive disorders. More recently, careful clinical observation has suggested the division of the affective disorders into two distinct groups: the so-called bipolar or manic-depressive group and the unipolar type with recurrent depressions only (14, 27, 1). Although genetic differences in terms of family risk have been demonstrated between the so-called bipolar and unipolar psychoses, it is not yet evident whether each group constitutes a homogeneous entity. Moreover, the diagnosis of unipolar depressive disease for the authors cited above includes such syndromes as involutional psychotic reactions, psychotic depressive reactions, and probably also psychoneurotic depressions.