Parents with bipolar disorder: Are disease characteristics good predictors of psychopathology in offspring?

Purpose: To investigate rates of psychopathology in the offspring of subjects with bipolar disorder (BP-offspring) compared to the offspring of healthy subjects (HC-offspring) in a Spanish sample and to study possible predictors of psychopathology in BP-offspring. Subjects: Fifty BP-offspring from 36 families and 25 HC-offspring from 25 families. Methods: Psychopathology was compared in BP-offspring and HC-offspring. Factors associated with DSM-IV axis I disorders in BP-offspring were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: Half of BP-offspring fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for at least one axis I disorder with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (30%), anxiety disorders (14%) and affective disorders (10%) as the most frequent. After controlling for having more than one sibling in the study, the odds ratio for BP-offspring presenting an axis I disorder was 15.02 when a biological parent had bipolar disorder with a lifetime history of psychotic symptoms and 3.34 when one parent had bipolar II disorder. Moreover, a higher Global Assessment of Functioning score in the biological co-parent was associated with a significantly lower frequency of axis I disorders in BP-offspring. Discussion and conclusions: Psychopathology in BP-offspring should be routinely assessed, with special emphasis on children from parents with specific disease characteristics (psychosis, BP II disorder) in order to establish an early diagnosis and appropriate interventions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.