Psychiatric Disorders in Child and Adolescent Offspring of Parents with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders.

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Mood Disorders; Schizophrenia Disorders

• Registration Number: NCT06874075
• Lead Sponsor: Assiut University

Brief Summary

Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are vulnerable and at high risk for these disorders. Despite the fact that positive family history of SZ or BD is the strongest predictor for the development of these severe mental illnesses, there is limited evidence assessing young adults of SZ and BP simultaneously with lack of detailed handling of similarities in risk and developmental trajectories during adolescence

Detailed Description

Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are vulnerable and at high risk for these disorders. Despite the fact that positive family history of SZ or BD is the strongest predictor for the development of these severe mental illnesses, there is limited evidence assessing young adults of SZ and BP simultaneously with lack of detailed handling of similarities in risk and developmental trajectories during adolescence \[1, 2\]. SZ and BP are thought to share a common pathophysiological basis due to advances in the field of molecular genetics, which have yielded overlapping findings between the two disorders \[3, 4\]. The psychopathological base during adolescence is influenced by neurodevelopmental deviation prior to clinical onset of many severe mental illnesses \[5, 6\]. Moreover, the risk for developing psychopathology is high during adolescence and prodromal symptoms start even earlier and may overlap and are difficult to differentiate \[5-8\]. This has turned efforts towards identification and treatment of individuals at early stages of the illness, when first clinical manifestations emerge \[8, 9\].

Importantly, subthreshold symptoms of mania and depression along with unspecific behavioural, emotional, and cognitive manifestations are highly predictive of future manic and depressive episodes in BD as well as anxiety disorders, which is confirmed by the clinical staging perspective \[10, 11\]. Nevertheless, early recognition and intervention during the prodromal phase is still at an early stage in Sz \[12\] with limited research into valid prodromal criteria for BP \[13\]. Retrospective studies combining subjects with early-onset mania and early-onset first-episode psychosis have reported a similar pattern of neurodevelopmental and psychopathological features predating the appearance of more specific prodromal symptoms in both disorders \[14, 15\]. Therefore, the substantial overlap of symptoms in the initial phases suggests that early identification programmes should be aimed at detecting both the pre-psychotic and the pre-manic phases of SZ and BP \[16\]

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-11
• Study First Posted: 2025-03-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-13
• Study Start: 2025-05-20
• Primary Completion: 2027-05-20
• Study Completion: 2027-08-20

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

• 6_18 years IQ > 70 parents of schizophrenia & mood disorders .

Exclusion Criteria

• age <6 or >18 IQ < 70 .

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Early recognition of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents , So Early interventions to decrease the severity of the disorder can be done	6 months	Early recognition and intervention during the prodromal phase is still at an early stage in Sz \[12\] with limited research into valid prodromal criteria for BP \[13\]. Retrospective studies combining subjects with early-onset mania and early-onset first-episode psychosis have reported a similar pattern of neurodevelopmental and psychopathological features predating the appearance of more specific prodromal symptoms in both disorders \[14, 15\]. Therefore, the substantial overlap of symptoms in the initial phases suggests that early identification programmes should be aimed at detecting both the pre-psychotic and the pre-manic phases of SZ and BP \[16\].

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
overlap of symptoms in the initial phases suggests that early identification	6 months	overlap of symptoms in the initial phases suggests that early identification programmes should be aimed at detecting both the pre-psychotic and the pre-manic phases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.