DURHAM, N.C., Jul 8, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Family history could be used to
identify those in need of early intervention or more aggressive treatment for
mental illness, U.S.researchers suggest.
The study, published in Archives of General Psychiatry, found less than 30
minutes of questions about family history of depression, anxiety or substance
abuse could be used to identify those in need of early intervention or more
aggressive treatment.
The study was based on 981 New Zealanders born at a single hospital in 1972 or
1973 -- known as the Dunedin Study -- whose physical and mental health has been
tracked since the age of 3.
The researchers tested each individual's personal experience with depression,
anxiety, alcohol dependence and drug dependence in relation to their family
history "scores" -- the proportion of their grandparents, parents and siblings
over age 10 who were affected. The analysis showed family history could predict
a more recurrent course of each of the four disorders.
"There are lots of kids with behavior problems who may outgrow them on their own
without medication, versus the minority with mental illnesses that need
treatment," study leader Terrie Moffitt of the Duke University Institute for
Genome Sciences & Policy in Durham, N.C., said in a statement. "Family history
is the quickest and cheapest way to sort that out."
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