Patient-based utilities for bipolar disorder-related health states

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder which impacts patient functioning and well-being. With increasing interest in cost-effectiveness of treatments, it is necessary to provide estimates of patient's perspectives on treatment outcomes. This study estimated health state utilities for hypothetical bipolar-related health states and patient's current health from bipolar I patients.

Clinicians completed Young Mania Rating Scale, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and Global Assessment Score. Patients completed structured standard gamble (SG) utility assessment interviews, and the other patient-based measures. Interviews obtained utilities for hypothetical bipolar-related health states describing symptom severity, functioning and well-being, and treatment-related side effects.

Ninety-six patients were recruited from psychiatry outpatient practices. Mean utilities for inpatient states ranged from 0.12 to 0.33; outpatient mania states ranged from 0.29 to 0.64; outpatient stable states ranged from 0.53 to 0.85. Mean utility for current health was 0.80 (S.D.=0.22). Patients preferred monotherapy compared with combination therapy health states. Ordinary least squares regression indicated weight gain was associated with a 0.066 decrease in health state utilities (P=0.013).

Study sample consisted of selected stable and educated patients and small sample sizes may limit generalizability for some utilities.

Bipolar disorder patients are capable of participating in utility assessment and providing ratings for hypothetical health states associated with different mood stabilizer treatments.