Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

Family history of mood disorder and characteristics of major depressive disorder: a STAR*D (sequenced treatment alternatives to relieve depression) study.

Nierenberg AA, Trivedi MH, Fava M, Biggs MM, Shores-Wilson K, Wisniewski SR, Balasubramani GK, Rush AJ

Depression Clinical and Research Program, ACC 812, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA 01224, USA. anierenberg@partners.org

INTRODUCTION: Clinicians routinely ask patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) about their family history. It is unknown, however, if patients who report a positive family history differ from those who do not. This study compared the demographic and clinical features of a large cohort of treatment-seeking outpatients with non-psychotic MDD who reported that they did or did not have at least one first-degree relative who had either MDD or bipolar disorder. METHODS: Subjects were recruited for the STAR( *)D multicenter trial. Differences in demographic and clinical features for patients with and without a family history of mood disorders were assessed after correcting for age, sex, race, and ethnicity. RESULTS: Patients with a family history of mood disorder (n=2265; 56.5%) were more frequently women and had an earlier age of onset of depression, as compared to those without such a history (n=1740; 43.5%). No meaningful differences were found in depressive symptoms, severity, recurrence, depressive subtype, or daily function. CONCLUSIONS: Women were twice as likely as men to report a positive family history of mood disorder, and a positive family history was associated with younger age of onset of MDD in the proband. Consistent with prior research, early age of onset appears to define a familial and, by extension, genetic subtype of major depressive disorder.

Published 12 December 2006 in J Psychiatr Res, 41(3): 214-21.
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