DSM-III-R PERSONALITY-DISORDERS IN PARENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

This study examines the frequency of DSM-III-R personality disorders i n parents of 58 patients who were admitted consecutively to a New York State psychiatric hospital with a first admission for a schizophrenia -like psychosis. For comparison, a control group of 65 families were r andomly recruited who were in the same age group and denied any psychi atric history in their immediate families. Significantly more parents of the patients had a diagnosed personality disorder than controls. Th ese were classified as schizoid, schizotypal, histrionic, and sadistic types by DSM-III-R criteria. While paranoid personality disorder was frequent, it was equally distributed among both groups of parents. The se data suggest that the genetic boundaries to a ''schizophrenia spect rum'' disorder may extend further than previously thought and particul arly the specific characteristics that are common to a wide variety of these disorders need to be examined in further analyses.