Familial aggregation of postpartum mood symptoms in bipolar disorder pedigrees.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine if postpartum mood symptoms and depressive episodes exhibit familial aggregation in bipolar I pedigrees.


METHODS
A total of 1,130 women were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies as part of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Genetics Initiative Bipolar Disorder Collaborative Study and were asked whether they had ever experienced mood symptoms within four weeks postpartum. Women were also asked whether either of two major depressive episodes described in detail occurred postpartum. We examined the odds of postpartum mood symptoms in female siblings, who had previously been pregnant and had a diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II, or schizoaffective (bipolar type) disorders (n = 303), given one or more relatives with postpartum mood symptoms.


RESULTS
The odds ratio for familial aggregation of postpartum mood symptoms was 2.31 (p = 0.011) in an Any Mood Symptoms analysis (n = 304) and increased to 2.71 (p = 0.005) when manic symptoms were excluded, though this was not significantly different from the Any Mood Symptoms analysis. We also examined familial aggregation of postpartum major depressive episodes; however, the number of subjects was small.


CONCLUSIONS
Limitations of the study include the retrospective interview, the fact that the data were collected for other purposes and the inability to control for such factors as medication use. Taken together with previous studies, these data provide support for the hypothesis that there may be a genetic basis for the trait of postpartum mood symptoms generally and postpartum depressive symptoms in particular in women with bipolar disorder. Genetic linkage and association studies incorporating this trait are warranted.
Payne
Jennifer L
JL
Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. jpayne5@jhmi.edu
MacKinnon
Dean F
DF
Mondimore
Francis M
FM
McInnis
Melvin G
MG
Schweizer
Barbara
B
Zamoiski
Rachel B
RB
McMahon
Francis J
FJ
Nurnberger
John I
JI
Rice
John P
JP
Scheftner
William
W
Coryell
William
W
Berrettini
Wade H
WH
Kelsoe
John R
JR
Byerley
William
W
Gershon
Elliot S
ES
DePaulo
J Raymond
JR
Potash
James B
JB
D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D019052:Depression, Postpartum; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors