Analysis of family history information about first-, second- and third-degree relatives of 45 anorectic patients and 38 control subjects with different types of neurosis showed significantly more depression and eating disorders in the families of the anorectic group. Our data revealed the same prevalence of psychiatric disorders in general for both groups; the alcoholism rate was higher in the anorectic group without a statistic significance. These findings might provide further evidence of a possible genetic relationship between anorexia nervosa and affective illness.