Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T06:49:42.025Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Recent advances in depression across the generations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2011

Myrna M. Weissman
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This Editorial presents recent research on the transmission of depression across three generations and discusses the implications for improving detection, treatment and prevention and for identifying important subgroups for biological studies. It reports a case-control study of three generations at high or low risk for major depression. The first two generations were followed longitudinally for 20 years and were assessed blind to the clinical status of the other generations. Depression is highly familial across three generations. Over 60% of grandchildren (average age 12 yrs.) with two generations affected with depression already have some psychopathology. Anxiety disorders are usually the first presentation before puberty with an increase in depression in adolescents, especially among girls. New opportunities for early detection and treatment exist. Families with three generations affected with depression present a potentially important group for biological, genetic and neuroimaging studies.

Type
Editorials
Information
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , March 2006 , pp. 16 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

References

REFERENCES

Beidel, D. & Turner, S. (1997). At risk for anxiety, I: psychopathology in the offspring of anxious parents: a direct interview study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36, 918–924.Google Scholar
Brent, D.A., Holder, D., Kolko, D., Birmaher, B., Baugher, M., Roth, C., Iyengar, S. & Johnson, B.A. (1997). A clinical psychotherapy for adolescent depression comparing cognitive, family, and supportive therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry 54, 877–885.Google Scholar
Caspi, A., Sudgen, K., Moffitt, T.E., Taylor, A., Craig, I.W., Harrington, H., McClay, J., Mill, J., Martin, J., Braithwaite, A. & Poulton, R. (2003). Influence of life stress on depression: Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science 301, 386–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Downey, G. & Coyne, J.C. (1990). Children of depressed parents: An integrative review. Psychological Bulletin 108(1), 50–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foley, D.L., Neale, M.C., Gardner, CO., Pickles, A. & Kendler, K.S. (2003). Major depression and associated impairment: Same or different genetic and environmental risk factors? American Journal of Psychiatry 160, 2128–2122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gershon, E.S., Hamovit, J.A., Guroff, J.J., Dibble, E., Leckman, J.F., Sceery, W., Targum, S.D., Nürnberger, J.I. Jr, Goldin, L.R. & Bunney, W.E. Jr (1982). A family study of schizoaffective bipolar I, bipolar II, unipolar, and normal control probands. Archives of General Psychiatry 39(10), 1157–1167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gershon, E.S., Weissman, M.M., Guroff, J.J., Prusoff, B.A. & Leckman, J.F. (1986). Validation of criteria for major depression through controlled family study. Journal of Affective Disorders 11, 125–131.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hammen, C., Burge, D., Burney, E. & Adrien, C. (1990). Longitudinal study of diagnoses in children of women with unipolar and bipolar affective disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry 47, 1112–1117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hettema, J.M., Prescott, C.A. & Kendler, K.S. (2003). The effects of anxiety, substance use and conduct disorders on risk of major depressive disorder. Psychological Medicine 33, 1423–1432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, R.C., Avenevoli, S. & Merikangas, K.R. (2001). Mood disorders in children and adolescents: An epidemiologie perspective. Biological Psychiatry 49, 1002–1014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, D.N., Lewinsohn, P.M., Seeley, J.R. & Rohde, P. (2001). A family study of major depressive disorder in a community sample of adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry 58, 13–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kovacs, M., Devlin, B., Pollock, M., Richards, C. & Mukerji, P. (1997). A controlled family history study of childhood-onset depressive disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry 54, 613–623.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewinsohn, P.M., Klein, D.N., Durbin, E.C., Seeley, J.R. & Rohde, P. (2003). Family study of subthreshold depressive symptoms: Risk factors for MDD? Journal of Affective Disorders 77, 149–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mufson, L., Pollack, Dorta K., Wickramaratne, P.J., Nomura, Y., Olfson, M. & Weissman, M.M. (2004). A randomized effectiveness trial of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry 61, 577–584.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nomura, Y., Wickramaratne, P.J., Warner, V., Mufson, L. & Weissman, M. M. (2002). Family discord, parental depression and psychopathology in offspring: 10-year follow-up Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 41 (4), 402–409.Google Scholar
Orvaschel, H., Walsh-Allis, G. & Ye, W.J. (1988). Psychopathology in children of parents with recurrent depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 16(1), 17–28.Google Scholar
Pine, D.S., Cohen, P., Gurley, D., Brook, J. & Ma, Y. (1998). The risk for early-adulthood anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry 55, 56–64.Google Scholar
Warner, V., Weissman, M.M., Mufson, L. & Wickramaratne, P. J. (1999). Grandparents, parents, and grandchildren at high risk for depression: A three-generation study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 38(3), 289–296.Google Scholar
Weissman, M.M., Gammon, G.D., John, K., Merikangas, K.R., Warner, V., Prusoff, B.A. & Sholomaskas, D. (1987). Children of depressed parents: Increased psychopathology and early onset of major depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 44, 847–853.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weissman, M.M., Warner, V., Wickramaratne, P., Moreau, D. & Olfson, M. (1997). Offspring of depressed parents. 10 Years later. Archives of General Psychiatry 54, 932–940.Google Scholar
Weissman, M.M., Wickramaratne, P.J., Adams, P., Wolk, S., Verdeli, L. & Olfson, M. (2000). Brief screening for family psychiatric history: The family history screen (FHS). Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 675–682.Google Scholar
Weissman, M.M., Wickramaratne, P.J., Nomura, Y., Warner, V., Verdeli, H., Pilowsky, D.J., Grillon, C. & Bruder, G. (2005). Families at high and low risk for depression: a 3-generation study. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 29–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wickramaratne, P.J., Warner, V. & Weissman, M.M. (2000). Selecting early onset probands for genetic studies: Results from a longitudinal high risk study. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatrie Genetics) 96, 93–101.3.0.CO;2-5>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wickramaratne, P.J. & Weissman, M.M. (1998). Onset of psychopathology in offspring by developmental phase and parental depression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 37(9), 933–942.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williamson, D.E., Birmaher, B., Axelson, D.A., Ryan, N.D. & Dahl, R.E. (2004). First episode of depression in children at low and high familial risk for depression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 43(3), 291–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wittchen, H.-U., Kessler, R.C., Pfister, H. & Lieb, M. (2000). Why do people with anxiety disorders become depressed? A prospective-longitudinal community study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Supplementum 406, 14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar