Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2018.183

DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN BIPOLAR PATIENTS WITH CURRENT PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS AND THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN PSYCHOTIC

Zsuzsanna Belteczki ; Sántha Kálmán Psychiatric Hospital, Nagykálló, Hungary
Zoltan Rihmer ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; National Institute for Psychiatry and Addictons, Budapest, Hungary
Julia Ujvari ; Sántha Kálmán Psychiatric Hospital, Nagykálló, Hungary
Dorian A. Lamis ; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
Peter Dome ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; National Institute for Psychiatry and Addictons, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract

Background: Psychotic symptoms are common in bipolar disorder (BD). Data suggest that BD patients with or without psychotic
symptoms may differ from each other with regards to some clinical features of BD (e.g., age at onset, suicidality, psychiatric
comorbidity, number of hospitalizations). However, the literature in this area is relatively scarce and not always conclusive.
Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate whether the presence of psychotic symptoms is associated with
clinical characteristics of patients with BD.
Subjects and methods: We enrolled 365 hospitalized patients who were diagnosed with BD according to the ICD-10 criteria.
After we excluded 196 patients without current psychotic symptoms but psychotic mood episodes in their medical history, our final
sample consisted of 169 patients (i.e., 89 BD patients presenting with current psychotic symptoms and 80 BD patients who were
hospitalized in the same period, but who did not have psychotic symptoms either currently or during their previous hospitalizations).
Clinically available data were collected, systematized and statistically processed according to the aims of the study.
Results: Early age of onset, bipolar-I diagnosis, comorbid personality disorder, number of hospitalizations and suicidality were
significantly more common in the psychotic group compared to the never-psychotic group. On the contrary, sedative/hypnotics
dependence was more frequent in the never-psychotic group.
Conclusions: Our results support the notion that the presence of psychotic symptoms in the context of BD may be associated with
various other clinical features of this disease.

Keywords

bipolar disorder; age at onset; suicidality; mania; depression; psychotic

Hrčak ID:

202066

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/202066

Publication date:

26.6.2018.

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