Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T00:34:59.027Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis: Two Identical Twin Pairs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Peter McGuffin  and
David Mawson
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 6AF
David Mawson
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 6AF
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Two pairs of monozygotic twins concordant for obsessive-compulsive neurosis are described. In each the proband and co-twin developed their symptoms independently and without prior knowledge of the other's illness. Despite this there was a marked similarity of symptoms within each pair. The existence of these and other pairs reported elsewhere, strongly suggests that familial and possibly genetic factors contribute to the aetiology of the disorder.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 137 , Issue 3 , September 1980 , pp. 285 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1980 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Black, A. (1974) The natural history of obsessional states. In Obsessional States (ed. H. R. Beech). Pp 19–54. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Brown, F. W. (1942) Heredity in the psychoneuroses. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 35, 785–90.Google Scholar
Carey, G. (1978) A Clinical-Genetic Study of Obsessional and Phobic States. Ph.D. thesis. University of Minnesota.Google Scholar
Clifford, C. A., Fulker, D. W. & Murray, R. M. (1980) Responses to the shortened Leyton Obsessional Inventory in twins (In preparation).Google Scholar
Gottesman, I. I. & Shields, J. (1973) Genetic theorizing and schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 15–30.Google Scholar
Inouye, E. (1972) Genetic aspects of neurosis. International Journal of Mental Health, 1, 176–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kringlen, E. (1965) Obsessional neurotics: A long term follow up. British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 709–22.Google Scholar
Marks, I. M., Crowe, M., Drewe, E., Young, J. & Dewhurst, W. G. (1969) Obsessive-compulsive neurosis in identical twins. British Journal of Psychiatry, 115, 991–8.Google Scholar
Pearson, H. A. (1963) Leukaemia in identical twins. New England Journal of Medicine, 268, 1151–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shields, J. (1962) Monozygotic Twins Brought up Apart and Brought up Together. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J. & Robins, E. (1975) Research Diagnostic Criteria. Instrument No. 58 New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York.Google ScholarPubMed
Woodruff, R. & Pitts, F. N. (1964) Monozygotic twins with obsessional illness. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120, 1075–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.