title: [Mental disorders in the parents of bipolar patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is well known that bipolar disorder has familial transmission. Studies indicate that first-degree relatives of bipolar patients also have higher incidences of other mental disorders than the general population. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of mental disorders in the parents of bipolar patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 35 probands who were treated for their bipolar disorders and 35 age and gender matched healthy subjects' parents were assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID-I), and a questionnaire for the parents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Past and current mental disorders were present in 27.1% of the parents of bipolar patients but in 14.2% of the parents of normal controls; the difference between the groups is statistically significant. The most prevalent mental disorder in both groups is major depressive disorder. The parents of bipolar patients were more likely to have a family history of mental disorder (44.2%) than the control group (12.8%). Parents who had a current or past mental disorder were more likely to have a family history of mental disease. Offspring of in-bred families had more bipolar siblings. Bipolar children of parents who had a family history of mental disorder tended to have an earlier age of onset.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study indicate that there is an increased prevalence of bipolar disorders and other mental disorders in the parents of bipolar patients when compared to the parents of healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Uzm., Ankara Numune Eğitim ve Araştirma Hastanesi 1. Psikiyatri Kl., Ankara.
authors.forename: Cebrail
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kisa
authors.forename: Ciğdem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aydemir
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Devrim Başterzi
authors.forename: Verda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tüzer
authors.forename: Erol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Göka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D010375:Pedigree; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology