A STUDY OF LIFE EVENTS IN MANIA

After clinical recovery, 46 manic patients were screened for evidence of life events during a period of 6 months before the first episode of mania (DSMIIIR criteria) and 6 months after the episode. Within-patie nt group comparisons showed that patients who reported life events had a significantly higher presumptive mean stress score before manic epi sode as compared with the period after the illness. When life events w ere considered in relation to age, sex, marital status and family hist ory of affective disorder, on a logistic regression equation, it was f ound that life events before mania were significantly associated with males; and with a younger age of onset. The implications of these find ings are discussed.