A diagnosis of depression encompasses much heterogeneity--in etiology, severity of illness, symptom patterns, timing of episodes, treatment, personality, and behavioral functioning. From data available in the NIMH longitudinal study of families of affectively ill and well parents, it is possible to examine differences within maternal depression and relate them to child functioning: (1) Do certain symptom patterns have greater effect on children than others? (2) Are there residues of illness present between episodes? (3) How do mothers' personality characteristics or disorders have an impact on associations with children's problems? Analyses, to date, have examined children's problems in relation to personality disorders in mothers. Personality disorders were frequent in mothers with a diagnosis of bipolar illness (90%) and unipolar depression (81%). Fewer mothers in the control group (28%) had personality disorders. Presence of disorders greatly increased the number of children with diagnoses (DICA) of mood disorders, anxiety, and disruptive behavior in the unipolar group. Personality disorders did not increase problems among children in the normal control group.
