Comorbidity and familial aggregation of back/neck pain in the NIMH Family Study of Affective Spectrum Disorders

•A history of back or neck pain is common in the community.•Risk of back/neck pain is higher in those whose relatives have back/neck pain.•Back/neck pain and major depression travel together in families.•Back/neck pain occurs approximately a decade earlier in those with bipolar disorder.•Back/neck pain may be a sequela of bipolar disorder, which merits intervention.