Demographic and Clinical Characteristics, Including Subsyndromal Symptoms Across Bipolar-Spectrum Disorders in Adolescents
Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a debilitating illness that often starts at an early age. Prevention of first and subsequent mood episodes, which are usually preceded by a period characterized by subthreshold symptoms is important. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics including severity and duration of subsyndromal symptoms across adolescents with three different bipolar-spectrum disorders. Methods: Syndromal and subsyndromal psychopathology were assessed in adolescent inpatients (age = 12–18 years) with a clinical mood disorder diagnosis. Assessments included the validated Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Interview and Scale—Prospective (BPSS-P). We compared phenomenology across patients with a research consensus conference-confirmed DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) diagnoses of BD-I, BD—not otherwise specified (NOS), or mood disorder (MD) NOS. Results: Seventy-six adolescents (age = 15.6 ± 1.4 years, females = 59.2%) were included (BD-I = 24; BD-NOS = 29; MD-NOS = 23) in this study. Median baseline global assessment of functioning scale score was 21 (interquartile range = 17–40; between-group p = 0.31). Comorbidity was frequent, and similar across groups, including disruptive behavior disorders (55.5%, p = 0.27), anxiety disorders (40.8%, p = 0.98), and personality disorder traits (25.0%, p = 0.21). Mania symptoms (most frequent: irritability = 93.4%, p = 0.82) and depressive symptoms (most frequent: depressed mood = 81.6%, p = 0.14) were common in all three BD-spectrum groups. Manic and depressive symptoms were more severe in both BD-I and BD-NOS versus MD-NOS (p < 0.0001). Median duration of subthreshold manic symptoms was shorter in MD-NOS versus BD-NOS (11.7 vs. 20.4 weeks, p = 0.002) and substantial in both groups. The most used psychotropics upon discharge were antipsychotics (65.8%; BD-I = 79.2%; BD-NOS = 62.1%; MD-NOS = 56.5%, p = 0.227), followed by mood stabilizers (43.4%; BD-I = 66.7%; BD-NOS = 31.0%; MD-NOS = 34.8%, p = 0.02) and antidepressants (19.7%; BD-I = 20.8%; BD-NOS = 10.3%; MD-NOS = 30.4%). Conclusions: Youth with BD-I, BD-NOS, and MD-NOS experience considerable symptomatology and are functionally impaired, with few differences observed in psychiatric comorbidity and clinical severity. Moreover, youth with BD-NOS and MD-NOS undergo a period with subthreshold manic symptoms, enabling identification and, possibly, preventive intervention of those at risk for developing BD or other affective episodes requiring hospitalization.
Authors: Gonzalo Salazar de Pablo, Daniel Guinart, Barbara A. Cornblatt, Andrea M. Auther, Ricardo E. Carrión, Maren Carbon, Sara Jiménez-Fernández, Ditte L. Vernal, Susanne Walitza, Miriam Gerstenberg, Riccardo Saba, Nella Lo Cascio, Martina Brandizzi, Celso Arango, Carmen Moreno, Anna Van Meter, Christoph U. Correll
Institutions: King's College London, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Northwell Health, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Hofstra University, Universidad de Granada, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Aalborg University Hospital, University Hospital Zurich, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, ASL Roma, Ospedale di Santo Spirito, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3006918184