Mood Disorders - BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION - GENETIC

Family studies: where a sufferer of a mood identifies disorder and their families are studied

•  Winokur found that the rate of unipolar depression was 10.9 % in first-degree relatives of the sufferer compared with 4.9% of control.

•  Weissman et al found that 50 % of offspring to depressive parents displayed depression themselves

Evaluation

•  Family studies do not rule out the effects of environment so the result of the experiments are not necessarily due to genetics. X

•  Children of depressive parents are exposed to stressful environment X

•  Conclusion cant be drawn from family studies alone X

Twin…