Citation

Nery-Fernandes F, Quarantini LC, Galvão-de-Almeida A, Rocha MV, Kapczinski F, Miranda-Scippa A. World J. Biol. Psychiatry 2009; 10(4 Pt 2): 474-479.

Affiliation

Center for Study and Treatment of Affective Disorders (CETTA), Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador-Ba, Brazil. fabiana.nery@hotmail.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, World Federation of the Societies of Biological Psychiatry, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15622970802688929

PMID

19401946

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the frequency of axis I psychiatric comorbidities in euthymic bipolar patients and the clinical differences between patients with and without comorbidities. METHOD: In this study, 62 euthymic bipolar outpatients assessed using a clinical questionnaire underwent a structured diagnostic interview (SCID/CV-DSM-IV) as well as a symptoms evaluation (YMRS and HAM-D-17). RESULTS: The lifetime frequency of patients with comorbidities was 27.4%. The most frequent comorbidities were anxiety disorders (33.7%), and the positive associated variables were more advanced age, the presence of a steady partner, a first episode of the depressive type and lifetime attempted suicide. CONCLUSIONS: The lower frequency of comorbidities found in our study in comparison with those described in the literature may be due to the evaluation restricted only to euthymic patients. This suggests the importance of assessing psychiatric comorbidity in bipolar individuals while not in acute phases of the disorder.

Language: en