Affective Disorders in Referred Children and Younger Siblings of Manic-Depressives

摘要: • We studied 68 referred juvenile offspring or siblings of adult bipolar patients. Mean age at onset affective and related disturbances was 15.9 years (range, 6 to 24 years). Although four the ten prepubertal children had hypomanic features, full-blown manic psychosis did not appear before puberty. In sample large, 12 were classified as dysthymic cyclothymic. Eleven additional subjects with polysubstance abuse, who meet criteria for disorder, reclassified having either a cyclothymic disorder during follow-up. Of remaining patients—24 depressive, eight manic, three mixed state—71% experienced recurrences; mood-incongruent present in cases onset, recurred only one patient subsequent episodes. Overall, half evidenced signs bipolarity mean prospective follow-up period years.