Children of Depressed Parents: More Prone to Psychiatric Disorders?

The results of a 20-year follow-up study of the offspring of depressed and nondepressed parents are in, and it appears that the progeny of the depressed are heir to their parents psychiatric disorders; and then some. 151 people were followed for 20 years to a mean age of 35. Major depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and social impairment were all significantly more common in the offspring of depressed parents than in the offspring of non-depressed parents. The study’s authors also noted that, near the end of the follow-up period, the children of depressed parents experienced increased instances of medical problems and mortality. This study appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/6/1001