Depression and Mania in Bipolar Disorder

Summary & key facts

Researchers reviewed records from 1,130 people with bipolar disorder seen at a mood-disorders center. They found that depressive episodes lasted much longer than manic episodes, and that episode length was similar across bipolar subtypes (BD-I, BD-II, mixed, or with psychosis). The authors say this pattern — more and longer depressions — highlights the limited control of bipolar depression with current treatments.

Key facts:

• The study included 1,130 bipolar patients, followed prospectively for an average of 6.53 years and with 16.7 years of average time at risk after illness onset.
• Depressive episodes were consistently much longer than manic episodes across BD subtypes (BD-I, BD-II, BD-Mx, BD-P).
• Episode duration did not differ significantly among the diagnostic subtypes examined (BD-I, BD-II, BD with mixed features, BD with psychotic features).
• Recurrence rates (episodes per year) and the proportion of time spent depressed were highest in BD-II and in patients with mainly mixed episodes (BD-Mx).
• Patients with psychotic features and those with BD-I had more manic episodes per year and the greatest total time spent in mania.
• In most bipolar subtypes (except those with psychotic features) patients spent more total time in depression than in mania, mainly because depressive episodes lasted longer.
• Earlier pooled estimates cited in the article reported average episode durations of about 15.8 weeks for bipolar depression (95% CI: 7.17–24.4 weeks) and about 13.3 weeks for manic-hypomanic episodes (95% CI: 0–30.7 weeks).
• Based on these findings, the authors state that available treatments have limited ability to control bipolar depression.

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Episode duration, recurrence rates, and time spent in manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder (BD) is not well defined for subtypes of the disorder. Methods: We reviewed the course, timing, and duration of episodes of ...

Topics

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Schizophrenia research and treatment

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Psychiatry and Mental health

Tags

Acoustics Biology Bipolar disorder Bipolar I disorder Cell Depression (economics) Duration (music) Economics Genetics Macroeconomics Mania Medicine Mood Physics Polarity (international relations) Psychiatry Psychology