Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:463-466
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
Evidence for genetic inheritance of primary affective disorder in adoptees
RJ Cadoret
Offspring of psychiatrically disturbed and normal biologic parents, adopted
away at birth, were followed up as adults. The psychiatric status of the
adoptees was determined by adoptive parent and adoptee interviews. The
incidence of depression was significantly higher in the affective-parented
adoptees (3 depressed of 8 adoptees) than in the remaining adoptees whose
biologic parents had other psychiatric conditions or were apparently
psychiatrically well (8 depressed of 118). The results suggest a genetic
factor in affective disorders.
