Family history of mood disorder and characteristics of major depressive disorder: a STAR*D (sequenced treatment alternatives to relieve depression) study.
BACKGROUND
Clinicians routinely ask patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) about their family history. It is unknown, however, if patients who report a positive family history differ from those who do not. This study compared the demographic and clinical features of a large cohort of treatment-seeking outpatients with non-psychotic MDD who reported that they did or did not have at least one first-degree relative who had either MDD or bipolar disorder.


METHODS
Subjects were recruited for the STAR( *)D multicenter trial. Differences in demographic and clinical features for patients with and without a family history of mood disorders were assessed after correcting for age, sex, race, and ethnicity.


RESULTS
Patients with a family history of mood disorder (n=2265; 56.5%) were more frequently women and had an earlier age of onset of depression, as compared to those without such a history (n=1740; 43.5%). No meaningful differences were found in depressive symptoms, severity, recurrence, depressive subtype, or daily function.


CONCLUSIONS
Women were twice as likely as men to report a positive family history of mood disorder, and a positive family history was associated with younger age of onset of MDD in the proband. Consistent with prior research, early age of onset appears to define a familial and, by extension, genetic subtype of major depressive disorder.
Nierenberg
Andrew A
AA
Depression Clinical and Research Program, ACC 812, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA 01224, USA. anierenberg@partners.org
Trivedi
Madhukar H
MH
Fava
Maurizio
M
Biggs
Melanie M
MM
Shores-Wilson
Kathy
K
Wisniewski
Stephen R
SR
Balasubramani
G K
GK
Rush
A John
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D010045:Outpatients; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors