Related Experiment Videos
Anxious and non-anxious bipolar disorder
L T Young1, R G Cooke, J C Robb
1Mood Disorders Program, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Canada.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|September 1, 1993
Summary
High anxiety in bipolar disorder (BD) patients correlates with increased suicidal behavior, alcohol abuse, and comorbid anxiety disorders. These findings suggest anxiety significantly impacts BD clinical presentation, similar to unipolar depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex mood disorder.
- Comorbid anxiety disorders are frequent in BD patients.
- The clinical significance of anxiety in BD requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical relevance of anxiety symptoms and diagnoses in outpatients with bipolar disorder.
- To compare characteristics of BD patients with high versus low anxiety symptom scores.
- To explore the relationship between anxiety and treatment response in BD.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-one outpatients with bipolar disorder were assessed.
- Patients were grouped based on SADS anxiety symptom scores (high vs. low).
- Diagnostic assessment for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder was performed.
Main Results:
- BD patients with high anxiety scores showed higher rates of suicidal behavior (44% vs. 19%).
- High anxiety was associated with increased alcohol abuse (28% vs. 6%) and cyclothymia (44% vs. 21%).
- A significant proportion of high-anxiety BD patients had a comorbid anxiety disorder (56% vs. 25%) and a trend toward lithium non-responsiveness.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety symptoms and comorbid anxiety disorders are clinically significant in bipolar disorder.
- High anxiety in BD is linked to more severe psychopathology and potentially poorer treatment outcomes.
- Anxiety's impact on BD may mirror its role in unipolar depression, underscoring the need for integrated treatment approaches.