[Clinical characteristics of bipolar I patients according to their family history of affective disorders].

Background: The familial nature of bipolar disorder has been well described and multiple genes are probably involved in most or all cases. Each gene contributes equally to a bipolar phenotype and it may contribute to clinical characteristics. However, the genetic transmission of bipolar disorder remained undetermined up to now, partly due to clinical and genetically heterogeneity.

[Influence of consanguinity on clinical characteristics and affective disorders frequency in relatives of bipolar I patients].

Background: The genetic transmission of bipolar disorder remained undetermined up to now, partly due to clinical and genetically heterogeneity. In Tunisia, genetic study will profit from the existence of high rates of consanguinity.

Aim: To determine the rate of consanguinity in bipolar I disorders sample and to compare the clinical characteristics and the frequency of affective disorders in first and second degree relatives of probands with and without consanguinity.

[Oxidative stress involvement in schizophrenia pathophysiology: a review].

Background: Schizophrenia is a devastating psychiatric disorder with a broad range of behavioural and biologic manifestations. There are several clinical characteristics of the illness that have been consistently associated with poor premorbid adjustment, long duration of psychosis prior to treatment and prominent negative symptoms. The etiopathogenic mechanisms of lack of insight in patients with schizophrenia are to date unknown, although several hypotheses have been suggested.

[Seasonal depressive disorder: a controlled study in Tunisian psychiatric sample].

Seasonal affective disorder is considered as a clinical subtype of major depression. The criteria for seasonal pattern has been recently described in the international classification of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with major depression and with a seasonal and a non seasonal pattern.