BIPOLAR-I - A 5-YEAR PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP

Citation
Mb. Keller et al., BIPOLAR-I - A 5-YEAR PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP, The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 181(4), 1993, pp. 238-245
Citations number
34
ISSN journal
00223018
Volume
181
Issue
4
Year of publication
1993
Pages
238 - 245
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-3018(1993)181:4<238:B-A5PF>2.0.ZU;2-M
Abstract
We explored the course of bipolar I illness in 172 probands who were f ollowed up prospectively for up to 5 years. Probands were grouped into three categories based on whether the symptoms of the index episode w ere only depressed, only manic, or mixed/cycling. Data were available for recovery from the index episode, subsequent relapse, and rates of recovery from the first prospective episode. Pure manic probands had a significantly faster rate of recovery (median, 6 weeks) than the mixe d/cycling probands (median, 17 weeks), and the pure depressive proband s had an intermediate rate (median, 11 weeks). After 5 years of follow -up the mixed/cycling patients continue to have the lowest cumulative probability of recovery from the index episode. Mixed/cycling probands also had a substantially faster time to relapse after recovery from t he index episode compared with pure manic patients. For those patients who relapsed, the mixed/cycling patients had the lowest cumulative pr obability of recovery from the first prospectively observed episode. T he treatment received by these patients is described and there is a di scussion of how this treatment may have influenced the findings on cou rse and outcome.