JEWS AND THEIR INTRAETHNIC VULNERABILITY TO AFFECTIVE-DISORDERS, FACTOR ARTIFACT .2. EVIDENCE FROM A COHOST STUDY

This paper which complements a prior review of published studies, repo rts findings from a community-based survey of 4,914 Israel-born offspr ing of immigrants from Europe (Ashkenazim) and North Africa. Responden ts were examined by psychiatrists using the Schedule for Affective Dis orders and Schizophrenia, Israel version, and diagnosed with the Resea rch Diagnostic Criteria. Unlike previous studies, this investigation f ound that Israelis of North African origin had significantly higher ra tes of affective disorders, including major depressive and intermitten t depressive disorders. The Ashkenazim, however, had higher rates of b ipolar I disorder at the definite level of diagnosis. Differential pat terns in help-seeking may account for the divergent findings between t his community-based study and earlier treatment-based reports. These r esults suggest the need to further investigate social and genetic etio logical factors that may explain the differential rates.