Comorbid medical illness in bipolar disorder

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Forty, Liz; Ulanova, Anna; Jones, Lisa; Jones, Ian; Gordon-Smith, Katherine; Fraser, Christine; Farmer, Anne; McGuffin, Peter; Lewis, Cathryn; Hosang, Georgina M.; Rivera, Margarita and Craddock, Nick. 2014. Comorbid medical illness in bipolar disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 205, pp. 465-472. ISSN 0007-1250 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Background

Individuals with a mental health disorder appear to be at increased risk of medical illness.

Aims

To examine rates of medical illnesses in patients with bipolar disorder (n = 1720) and to examine the clinical course of the bipolar illness according to lifetime medical illness burden.

Method

Participants recruited within the UK were asked about the lifetime occurrence of 20 medical illnesses, interviewed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) and diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria.

Results

We found significantly increased rates of several medical illnesses in our bipolar sample. A high medical illness burden was associated with a history of anxiety disorder, rapid cycling mood episodes, suicide attempts and mood episodes with a typically acute onset.

Conclusions

Bipolar disorder is associated with high rates of medical illness. This comorbidity needs to be taken into account by services in order to improve outcomes for patients with bipolar disorder and also in research investigating the aetiology of affective disorder where shared biological pathways may play a role.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.152249

Additional Information:

Funding for BDRN was provided by the Stanley Medical
Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust. The Depression Case Control (DeCC) sample was funded
by the Medical Research Council