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PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BIPOLAR AND UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION - POTENTIAL INDICATORS OF BIPOLARITY

Branislav Motovsky ; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Trencin, Slovakia
Jan Pecenak ; Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, Comenius University, University Hospital, Bratislava, Slovakia

Sažetak

Background: Establishing whether a depressive episode is part of a unipolar or bipolar disorder is essential for treatment
planning. Over recent years, a growing number of publications have discussed psychopathological characteristics that might serve
as indicators of bipolarity in patients with a history of depression dominated by unipolar symptoms. Our primary aim was to verify
the adequacy of these indicators in contributing to a precise diagnosis in everyday clinical practice.
Subjects and methods: We investigated 104 patients diagnosed with major depressive episode at the time of examination. 52
patients had major depressive disorder and 52 patients had bipolar disorder. The patients were then assessed for the presence of
potential bipolarity indicators: psychomotor slowing, self-view (self-blaming, feelings of worthlessness), hypersomnia, increased
appetite, leaden paralysis/loss of physical energy, weight increase, interpersonal sensitivity, and early morning insomnia, using the
Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. We analysed the correlations between these indicators and the presence of unipolar or
bipolar affective disorder.
Results: Psychomotor slowing, self-blaming/feelings of worthlessness, increased appetite, leaden paralysis/loss of physical
energy, and weight increase were significantly more frequent in bipolar depression than in unipolar depression (p<0.05). Early
morning insomnia was significantly more frequent in unipolar depression (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation
between hypersomnia or interpersonal sensitivity and either of the affective disorders.
Conclusions: It would be worthwhile identifying the relative importance of clinical indicators for probable BP in large-scale
prospective studies. These would contribute to the better diagnostic assessment of major depressive episodes and therapeutic
decision-making.

Ključne riječi

bipolar depression - unipolar depression - bipolar disorder - indicators of bipolarity

Hrčak ID:

159842

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/159842

Datum izdavanja:

4.3.2013.

Posjeta: 696 *