This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Genetic aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

There is evidence for the importance of genetics in the aeitology of severe unipolar depression:

  • the risk of severe depression in the first degree relatives of a severely depressed patient is 10-15% (compared to 1-2% in the general population)

The evidence for a genetic aetiology of bipolar disorder is stronger:

  • the concordance in twin studies is:
    • 70% for monozygotic twins reared together
    • 70% for monozygotic twins reared apart
    • 23% for dizygotic twins
  • in adoption studies, risk for bipolar affective disorder stems more from the genetic rather than the adoptive parent

The inheritance is probably non-Mendelian.

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.