Psychiatric Illness Among Paternal and Maternal Relatives of Poor Prognosis Schizophrenics
MICHAEL S. MCCABE M.D.1,
RICHARD C. FOWLER M.D.2,
REMI J. CADORET M.D.2, and
GEORGE WINOKUR M.D.3
1 Aarhus Psychiatric Hospital, Institute of Psychiatric Demography, Risskov, Denmark
2 Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 4940 Audubon Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, U.S.A.
3 University of Iowa College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 500 Newton Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, U.S.A.
Family histories on second and third degree family members were obtained as a part of a blind family study of good and poor prognosis schizophrenia. For this study the 25 poor prognosis families were considered. If highly restrictive criteria are used, only unilateral pairs of ill relatives are noted, favouring a dominant gene hypothesis. As criteria for illness are broadened the findings tend to favour a polygenic hypothesis.
Submitted on June 9, 1971
