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Psychiatric Morbidity in the First-Degree Relatives of Schizophrenic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Shashjit L. Varma  and
Indira Sharma
Shashjit L. Varma*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan 16150, Malaysia
Indira Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

First-degree relatives (FDRs) of 1018 schizophrenic and 812 control probands were investigated. Psychiatric morbidity was present in 34.8% of FDRs of schizophrenic probands and in 9.2% of FDRs of controls. There was significantly more psychiatric illness in the siblings and parents than in the offspring of both schizophrenic and control subjects. The morbidity risks for schizoid-schizotypal personality disorders, cannabis-use disorder and paranoid personality disorder were significantly higher in the FDRs of schizophrenic patients than in those of controls, suggesting a biological relationship.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 5 , May 1993 , pp. 672 - 678
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

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