Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder
Published on: May 2, 2025
The course of bipolar disorder in rural India
Mohit P Chopra1, K V Kishore Kumar, D K Subbakrishna
1Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bangalore 560029, Karnataka.
Aim:
To examine the naturalistic course of bipolar disorder in a rural, community-based, partially treated cohort.
Methods:
All patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder during an epidemiological survey (n=34) in a rural area in India were followed longitudinally using standardized instruments, and the life-chart method used to examine their course.
Results:
Seven (26%) of the 27 patients evaluated directly had not received any treatment whatsoever. Four patients (15%) had experienced rapid-cycling at some time; patients without rapid-cycling had experienced a mean 0.22 episodes/year. Episodes of mania accounted for 72% of all episodes. None of the variables examined appeared to predict the total number of episodes experienced by individual patients, although rapid-cycling occurred significantly more often if the patients had not received any psychopharmacological treatment.
Conclusions:
A mania-predominant course was observed in this small cohort, similar to reports from other developing countries.
Related Concept Videos
Bipolar Disorder
Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Borderline Personality Disorder
Genetic and Environmental Contributions
Borderline Personality...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy