A family history study of 36 patients with chronic posttraumatic stress
disorder revealed a positive history of familial psychopathology in 66% of
the patients. Alcoholism, depression, and anxiety disorders were the
disorders most commonly found. The patients also had a higher prevalence of
alcoholic siblings than did a retrospectively derived control group of
depressed and anxious male patients. With respect to the proportion of
familial anxiety to familial depression, the probands with posttraumatic
stress disorder more closely resembled probands with generalized anxiety
than probands with depression. Every patient had experienced at least one
significant psychiatric illness during his lifetime, most commonly alcohol
abuse or depression.Abstract Teaser