Based on two independently ascertained family studies, the problem of analyzing disorders with
variable age of onset has been investigated by means of survival analysis. This method of approach
results in empirical risk functions which can be used directly as weights for age correction in
the analysis of pedigrees. The main interest of the present investigation was focused on the
reproducibility of such risk functions and on their specificity with respect to clinical diagnosis.
For this purpose, one family study was used as a calibration sample for estimating risk functions,
while the second family study served as test sample in order to assess the reproducibility of the
empirically derived functions.
We found the empirically derived functions from both the calibration and test samples to be indeed
comparable, thus suggesting that, for sufficiently representative calibration samples, the
differences between the two populations of (1) affected and (2) susceptible individuals may be less
than expected. As to the specificity of the risk functions, the underlying diagnostic structure of
the calibration samples (as represented by four diagnostic subgroups) could be characterized by
distinct types of risk functions, each of which, in addition, reflects the severity of the respective
affective disorder.
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254-264
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methodological and empirical results. J Psychiat Research 1987; 21: 347-355
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depression? Psychiat Genetics 1997; 7: 27-34
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Fähndrich E, Möller HJ (eds): Syndromale Diagnostik psychischer Störungen. Hogrefe, Göttingen
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Erkrankungen. Springer Heidelberg 2004: 107-125
Angst J, Sellaro R, Stassen HH, Gamma A: Diagnostic conversion from depression to bipolar
disorders: results of a long-term prospective study of hospital admissions. J Aff Disorders
2005; 84(2-3): 149-157
Stassen HH, Angst J, Scharfetter C, Szegedi A: Therapie mit Antidepressiva: Erfolg von
genetischen Faktoren abhängig? Leading Opinions, Neurologie & Psychiatrie 2005; 6: 25-27
Stassen HH, Scharfetter C: Ethnische Zugehörigkeit und Vulnerabilität am Beispiel der
Affektkrankheiten und Schizophrenien. Die Psychiatrie 2005; 2: 85-95
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syndrom-orientierter Modelle. In: M. Leuzinger-Bohleber, S. Hau, H. Deserno (hsg): Depression
—Pluralismus in Praxis und Forschung, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen, 2005, pp. 219-257
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Continuum. In: A. Marneros and H.S. Akiskal (eds) The overlap of affective and schizophrenic
spectra. Cambridge University Press 2006; pp. 55-78
Stassen HH, Scharfetter C: Vulnerability, resilience and response to psychotropic drugs:
shared genetic factors? Am J Med Genetics 2006; 141: 707-708
Stassen HH, Angst J, Hell D, Scharfetter C, Szegedi A: Is there a common resilience mechanism
underlying antidepressant drug response? Evidence from 2848 patients. J Clin Psychiatry
2007; 68(8): 1195-1205