Risk factors in families of unipolar depression. I. Psychiatric illness and reduced REM latency

Donna E. Giles, Melanie M. Biggs, A. John Rush, Howard P. Roffwarg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this report, we present data documenting the incidence of reduced REM latency and the lifetime prevalence of psychiatric illness in the parents and siblings of early onset unipolar depressed probands. The prevalence of psychiatric illness (49.3%), especially affective disorders (34.3%), was very high among these relatives. Reduced REM latency in the family members of reduced REM latency probands showed a concordance rate of 70.6% regardless of psychiatric history. The relative risk for unipolar depression among relatives with reduced REM latency was almost three times greater than for relatives with nonreduced REM latency.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)51-59
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of affective disorders
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1988

Keywords

  • Family history
  • Psychiatric illness
  • REM sleep
  • Unipolar major depression

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Risk factors in families of unipolar depression. I. Psychiatric illness and reduced REM latency'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this