QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND LIFE-STYLE DISRUPTION IN EUTHYMIC BIPOLAR DISORDER

The objective was to assess the extent and pattern of illness intrusiv eness, one measure of quality of life, in subjects with bipolar disord er (ED) and to determine whether specific illness variables had influe nced the degree of intrusiveness experienced. To compare findings from ED subjects relative to published findings for subjects with chronic medical conditions. The study involved the administration of a self-re port assessment tool to euthymic outpatients with ED attending a unive rsity based hospital clinic. Of the 155 eligible participants, 112 com pleted a standardized psychiatric interview (SADS-L) and 87 of these m et study criteria for euthymia and were approached to participate in t he study. Sixty-eight completed self-report measures were returned. Th e main outcome measure was the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale (IIR S) which was analysed along with a composite measure of life events. I t resulted that individuals' with ED experience significant illness in trusiveness into a number of life domains even after controlling for n egative life events. Factors such as type of ED, the presence of a dep ressive episode in the preceding year and current Hamilton depression rating scale score contributed to the total illness intrusiveness. The degree of total illness intrusiveness experienced by individuals with ED was similar to that of subjects with multiple sclerosis and greate r than subjects with end stage renal disease and rheumatoid arthritis. It seems apparent that quality of life, as determined by illness intr usiveness, is compromised in subjects with ED even during periods of e uthymia. ED is at least as intrusive as several chronic medical condit ions. Those with a type II ED report greater impairment in all domains compared with type I. Future research should determine specific psych osocial interventions aimed al reducing the impact of ED. (C) 1997 Els evier Science Ltd.