title: Lifetime psychopathology among the offspring of Bipolar I parents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have demonstrated high rates of psychopathology in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to identify psychiatric diagnoses in a sample of children of bipolar parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This case series comprised 35 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years, with a mean age of 12.5 ± 2.9 years (20 males and 15 females), who had at least one parent with bipolar disorder type I. The subjects were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). Family psychiatric history and demographics were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the offspring studied, 71.4% had a lifetime diagnosis of at least one psychiatric disorder (28.6% with a mood disorder, 40% with a disruptive behavior disorder and 20% with an anxiety disorder). Pure mood disorders (11.4%) occurred less frequently than mood disorders comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (17.1%). Psychopathology was commonly reported in second-degree relatives of the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (71.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support previous findings of an increased risk for developing psychopathology, predominantly mood and disruptive disorders, in the offspring of bipolar individuals. Prospective studies with larger samples are needed to confirm and expand these results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zappitelli
authors.forename: Isabel A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bordin
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: Sheila C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.forename: Giovana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zunta-Soares
authors.forename: Rene L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Olvera
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales