A review of psychosocial outcome in patients with bipolar disorder

Objective: The aim of this paper is to review outcome in patients with bipo lar disorder as assessed by interepisode level of functioning, as until rec ently this dimension of outcome has been relatively under-emphasized. Method: Studies that examined psychosocial outcome in bipolar disorder were reviewed on the basis of rating measurements employed, length of follow-up , number of subjects followed and degree of impairment reported. Studies we re included only if results from patients with bipolar and unipolar disorde r were reported in such a way that the groups could be distinguished. Results: When studies of psychosocial outcome in bipolar disorder are exami ned in aggregate, it appears that 30-60% of individuals with this disorder fail to regain full functioning in occupational and social domains. Conclusion: This review highlights the fact that inter-episode functional r ecovery is incomplete in some patients, suggesting that comprehensive rehab ilitative assessment and intervention may be essential to reduce the morbid ity associated with this disorder.