Meenath : depression and sex-ratio : a hypothetical clinical subtype of depressive spectrum disorder

Abstract EN

This article describes the clinical features of seven female patients from three families.

Their conditions are characterized by the presence of dysthymic disorder accompanied by symptoms of anxiety and social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.

This depressive syndrome (Meenath depression), can be recognized by pathognomonic biological factor of giving birth to almost only female children and hence change of children Sex-Ratio.

The seven female patients gave birth in between them to 44 female children and 2 boys.

What is more important is that the genetic predisposition affected their brother and no one escaped from psychiatric disturbances, especially depressive disorder.

The severity varied from mild to major depression and this was accompanied by a decline in fertility rate or infertility.

Fortunately the spontaneous remission of their depression was common, and functional and academic achievement was high inspite of the severity of episodes.

This preliminary report is interesting and worth of further study in large sample with more stringent methodology using standardized scales and family research methods.

This finding will be discussed in light of recent genetic advances.