Topic 2 key research Gottesman

Question 1

What was his AIM?

Answer 1

Investigate the probability of a child with 2 parents with a psychiatric illness being diagnosed with a mental disorder (in particular the one their parents have)

Question 2

Participants?

Answer 2

• Records of Denmark population gathered (Civil Registration System)

-Aged 10 or over in 2007 whose biological parents were known.

• 1,278,977 couples were studied

-2.7 million people.

• Used the psychiatric central register to identify individuals whose parents had received a diagnosis and been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Question 3

Method?

Answer 3

Group
Characteristics
A
2 parents with a diagnosis of either schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder.
B
1 parent with a diagnosis of either schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder
C
Neither parent diagnosed with a disorder
D
A group of ‘general public’ where there was no data provided about psychiatric illnesses.

Question 4

Results?

Answer 4

• 27.3% of offspring diagnosed with schizophrenia (Both parents had it)
• 7% offspring diagnosed with schizophrenia (one parent had it)
• 0.86% Offspring diagnosed with it (no parents had it)

Question 5

Extra results;

Answer 5

• 1.12% of offspring schizophrenia from a sample of the general population.
• 4.8% of offspring schizophrenia when both parents were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
• 15.6% of offspring schizophrenia when one parent was diagnosed with schizophrenia and the other was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Question 6

Summary number 1?

Answer 6

• The risk with 2 parents diagnosed is 3.9 times higher than with 1 parent diagnosed and 31.7 times higher than neither parent diagnosed.
• And even if parents are diagnosed with another disorder like bipolar disorder, the risk of schizophrenia is still higher.

Question 7

Results Bi-polar disorder?

Answer 7

• 24.9% of offspring bipolar disorder when (both parents)

-4.4% of offspring bipolar disorder when (one parent)

-0.48% of offspring bipolar disorder when (neither parents)

-0.63% of offspring bipolar disorder from a sample of the general population.

-11.7% of offspring when one parent was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the other was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

-10.8% of offspring were diagnosed with bipolar disorder when both parents were diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Question 8

Summary 2?

Answer 8

-The risk with both parents being admitted was 51.9 times higher than if neither parent had a diagnosis.

-Older people (45 years of age) are not often diagnosed with schizophrenia, which suggests that age has an effect but for bipolar the incidence of diagnosis is still increasing as people age.

Question 9

Conclusion

Answer 9

Gottesman’s study supported the findings of other studies that there is a link between parents and offspring in diagnoses of mental illness. The impressive sample size of this study makes it robust.

However the risks of this study (a policy of eugenics for people with mental illness) are also acknowledged.

Gottesman also states that there are limitations with the data, in that many people with mental illness are not admitted to hospitals (where the data came from).

In addition the study also claims that the ICD is a valid measure of mental illness.

Future studies should also look at the rates of mental illness in offspring who are adopted and also twins to provide further data into this area