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Identical Triplets: Non-Identical Psychosis?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Peter McGuffin ,
Adrianne Reveley  and
Anthony Holland
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Adrianne Reveley
Affiliation:
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Anthony Holland
Affiliation:
The Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ
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Summary

In contrast to all previous reports of psychoses in genetically identical siblings, identical triplets aged 28 were discordant by major Kraepelinian type of psychosis. Two of them had been diagnosed schizophrenic while the third was diagnosed manic depressive. Re-evaluation of their illnesses using standardized methods and diagnosis by blind raters suggested that the discordance was not due to simple misdiagnosis or different diagnostic bias between psychiatrists. These triplets illustrate some of the shortcomings of a strictly applied Kraepelinian dichotomy and show that a genetic perspective is important in attempting to resolve the classificatory problems of atypical psychoses.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 140 , Issue 1 , January 1982 , pp. 1 - 6
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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