@article{ref1,
title="The 'true' prevalence of bipolar II disorder",
journal="Current opinion in psychiatry",
year="2012",
author="Merikangas, Kathleen R. and Lamers, Femke",
volume="25",
number="1",
pages="19-23",
abstract="PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many studies - including meta-analyses - do not distinguish between bipolar I and II disorder. The aim of this study is to review the recent literature on the prevalence, correlates, consequences, and treatment patterns of bipolar II disorder. RECENT FINDINGS: In the past 2 years, several important studies have been conducted in the bipolar II field. The World Mental Health Survey initiative provides us with prevalence rate across 11 countries, while several meta-analyses on suicide and neurocognition directly compared bipolar I with bipolar II, informing us on the severe consequences of bipolar II disorder. <br><br>RESULTS from studies showed that the lifetime prevalence rate of bipolar II disorder in adults across 11 countries was 0.4%. Rates of bipolar II disorder in prospective studies of adolescents are substantially greater, with lifetime rates approaching 3-4%. SUMMARY: Evidence from these studies regarding comparable clinical consequences, patterns of comorbidity, suicide attempts, family history, and treatment patterns to bipolar I disorder document the validity of the bipolar II subtype.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0951-7367",
doi="10.1097/YCO.0b013e32834de3de",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e32834de3de"
}