Parents with bipolar disorder: are disease characteristics good predictors of psychopathology in offspring?

PURPOSE

To investigate rates of psychopathology in the offspring of subjects with bipolar disorder (BP-offspring) compared to the offspring of healthy subjects (HC-offspring) in a Spanish sample and to study possible predictors of psychopathology in BP-offspring.

SUBJECTS

Fifty BP-offspring from 36 families and 25 HC-offspring from 25 families.

METHODS

Psychopathology was compared in BP-offspring and HC-offspring. Factors associated with DSM-IV axis I disorders in BP-offspring were analyzed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Half of BP-offspring fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for at least one axis I disorder with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (30%), anxiety disorders (14%) and affective disorders (10%) as the most frequent. After controlling for having more than one sibling in the study, the odds ratio for BP-offspring presenting an axis I disorder was 15.02 when a biological parent had bipolar disorder with a lifetime history of psychotic symptoms and 3.34 when one parent had bipolar II disorder. Moreover, a higher Global Assessment of Functioning score in the biological co-parent was associated with a significantly lower frequency of axis I disorders in BP-offspring.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Psychopathology in BP-offspring should be routinely assessed, with special emphasis on children from parents with specific disease characteristics (psychosis, BP II disorder) in order to establish an early diagnosis and appropriate interventions.