Psychopathology in the adolescent offspring of bipolar parents

Reichart, Catrien G.; Wals, Marjolein; Hillegers, Manon H.J.; Ormel, Johan; Nolen, Willem A.; Verhulst, Frank C.

doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(02)00178-7

« Previous Next »Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 78, Issue 1 , Pages 67-71, January 2004

Psychopathology in the adolescent offspring of bipolar parents

Catrien G. Reichart
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children’s Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GH Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +31-10-463-4551; fax: +31-10-463-3217.
Marjolein Wals
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children’s Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GH Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Altrecht, Institute for Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Manon H.J. Hillegers
- Altrecht, Institute for Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Johan Ormel
- Department of Psychiatry and Graduate School Behavior, Cognitive and Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Willem A. Nolen
- Altrecht, Institute for Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Frank C. Verhulst
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children’s Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GH Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Received 18 February 2002; received in revised form 15 May 2002; accepted 27 May 2002.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and 14-months incidence of psychopathology in adolescent offspring of a bipolar parent. Method: Parent, teacher and self-report rating scales and Kiddie-SADS were used to assess 132 13–23-year-old offspring of bipolar parents. Results: Compared to the general population, there were few differences between rating scale scores for bipolar offspring and problem scores for normative adolescents. Of the sample 49% had a lifetime psychiatric disorder, most commonly (33%) a mood disorder. Limitations: There was no suitable control group and there are no comparison data for psychiatric diagnoses (DSM-IV), based on semi-structured interviews in the adolescent age group in the Netherlands. Conclusions: The overall level of psychopathology of bipolar offspring was not particularly elevated, but when there were more problems, they tended to be mood disorders.

Keywords: Bipolar offspring, Psychopathology, Adolescents, Mood disorders