FAMILY HISTORY OF AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASES IN PSYCHOSIS

The mothers of 101 psychotic patients and 116 normal controls were int erviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire designed to determine t he presence or absence of autoimmune disorders in first degree relativ es of the probands. Thyrotoxicosis and insulin-dependent diabetes mell itus were significantly more common in the relatives of the psychotic patients than in the control relatives; in particular thyrotoxicosis w as more frequent in the mothers of patients (11%) than the mothers of controls (2.6%). None of the examined characteristics of the patients, including RDC-diagnosis, family history of psychosis, age at onset of psychosis and winter birth, was predictive of thyrotoxicosis- and ins ulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in relatives.