Genetic segregation analysis of recurrent, early-onset major depression: evidence for single major locus transmission.

Coordinated efforts are now underway to identify susceptibility genes for unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) and related disorders. These studies have focused on recurrent, early-onset MDD (RE-MDD), thought to be the most familial form of this disorder. The goal of this study was to conduct a complex segregation analysis of recurrent MDD and other major mood disorders aggregating in families identified by probands with RE-MDD.

Delusional Depression and Electroconvulsive Therapy: One Year Later.

This study reports the outcome of a 1-year follow-up study of 37 patients with a delusional depression treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Thirty-two (86%) of the patients initially responded to ECT. However, 16 (50%) of the 32 responders relapsed within 1 year.