Socio-biographical and evolutive aspects in bipolar disorder and unipolar depression – comparative study

Abstract

Introduction In present, bipolar disorder and unipolar depression are accepted as distinct nosological entities, still there are authors who describe bipolar disorders as a comorbidity between depression and mania. Objectives The comparative assessments of socio-biographical and evolutive aspects in two samples, some of them diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and the others with recurrent depressive disorder (RDD), according to ICD 10. Aims To highlight significant differences between these two types of pathologies regarding socio-demographic and evolutive aspects. Methods We have selected two samples which comprise 30 subjects, one with subjects with BAD and the other subjects with RDD. We have assessed the following features of these subjects: the age, educational level, professional and marital status, the existence of triggers at the onset, the period of time until the first readmission into hospital, the period of hospitalization for the depressive episodes, the total number of hospital admissions during the first 5 years of evolution. Results We have found significant differences regarding the age of onset, the existence of triggers before the onset of the disease, the period of time until the first readmission into hospital, the period of hospitalization of depressive episodes, the marital status at the onset, the marital and professional status after 5 years of evolution. Conclusions Although these studied disorders are periodic affective disorders which have in common depression, the existence of the manic pole changes the bipolar disorder into a disorder which is different from a unipolar disorder.