INTRODUÇÃO: Os termos múltiplas comorbidades e multimorbidade são crescentes na literatura médica, trazendo e traduzindo uma nova forma de avaliar e cuidar de pacientes graves que acumulam doenças crônicas. Estudos apontam piores prognósticos para o transtorno bipolar (TB) quando associado à comorbidades específicas. Entretanto, fatores correlacionados ao número total de transtornos associados, e não a cada transtorno de forma específica, ainda não foram investigados no TB. OBJETIVOS: A finalidade deste estudo é avaliar diferentes aspectos relacionados à presença de múltiplas comorbidades psiquiátricas de Eixo I ao longo da vida em amostra de pacientes com TB. MÉTODO: Uma amostra de 294 pacientes bipolares foi investigada. Os diagnósticos de TB e das comorbidades psiquiátricas foram confirmados através entrevista clínica estruturada para transtornos de Eixo I (SCID-I) do DSM-IV. Um protocolo padrão do PROTAHBI foi aplicado para a obtenção de dados sócio-demográficos e variáveis clínicas. Os níveis de funcionamento, a qualidade de vida (QV), assim como, a presença de sintomas depressivos, ansiosos e maníacos foram avaliados através de instrumentos específicos validados na literatura. Múltiplas comorbidades foram consideradas presentes quando três ou mais diagnósticos psiquiátricos, adicionais ao TB, eram constatados. LIMITAÇÕES: Comorbidades com transtornos de Eixo II e III não foram investigadas neste estudo. RESULTADOS: A prevalência ao longo da vida para pelo menos uma comorbidade foi de 68.8% (n = 203), para duas ou três foi de 34.2% (n = 101) e para múltiplas comorbidades foi de 34.6% (n = 102). Na análise comparativa para as variáveis clínicas, diferenças correlacionadas ao número total de comorbidades foram detectadas. Um significativo impacto negativo foi verificado na avaliação do funcionamento e na QV dos pacientes com múltiplas comorbidades. CONCLUSÕES: A presença de múltiplas comorbidades psiquiátricas de Eixo I ocorre em cerca de um terço dos pacientes bipolares e revela uma maior gravidade e complexidade ao transtorno, independentemente de quais transtornos específicos co-ocorram. Questões acerca de sua adequada contemplação nos critérios de classificação diagnóstica e guidelines de tratamento também foram suscitadas. / BACKGROUND: The concepts multiple comorbidities and multimorbidity are growing in relevance in medical literature, enabling a new perspective to understand and treat patients with severe and cumulative chronic diseases. Studies report worse prognoses of bipolar disorder (BD) when associated with specific comorbidities. However, factors underlying co-occurring rather than single disorders have not been analyzed yet. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims at assessing the impact of psychiatric multiple comorbidities with Axis I disorder on bipolar patients. METHODS: A sample of 294 bipolar patients was examined. BD and comorbidities diagnoses were confirmed by means of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders. A PROTAHBI standard protocol provided the access for the social-demographic data and clinical variables. Levels of functioning and quality of live as well as the presence of depressive, anxiety and manic symptoms were evaluated by means of proper instruments validated in medical literature. Multiple comorbidities were considered when three or more comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were verified. LIMITATIONS: Axis II and III comorbidities were not considered in this investigation. RESULTS: Lifetime prevalence of any comorbidity was 68.8% (n = 203), of one or two comorbidities was 34.2% (n = 101), and of multiples comorbidities was 34.6% (n = 102). ). In the comparative analysis of clinical variables, some differences between the groups were detected. A significant negative impact was verified when assessing functioning and quality of life of patients with multiple comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of Axis I psychiatric comorbidities was found in one third of the bipolar patients and revealed a more severe and complex disorder, regardless of which particular disorders may co-occur. Concerns were raised about whether current medical classification systems and practice guidelines are properly addressing this issue.

A exposição a eventos traumáticos durante a infância está associada a um prejuízo na cognição, neurobiologia e morfologia cerebral. No entanto, não se sabe se o trauma está relacionado a essas mudanças em amostras que não apresentam potenciais fatores de confusão como idade avançada, cronicidade do transtorno psiquiátrico e múltiplos episódios de humor. O impacto do trauma na infância foi avaliado em duas amostras diferentes nesta tese: 1) crianças com e sem história de trauma; 2) pacientes com diagnóstico de THB logo após a recuperação do primeiro episódio de mania com e sem história de trauma na infância e controles saudáveis com e sem história de trauma na infância. Os resultados sugerem que o trauma está associado a mudanças na neurobiologia, cognição e morfologia cerebral. Crianças com trauma apresentaram aumento nos níveis de BDNF, TNF-α, IL-6 e IL-10 comparadas com crianças sem trauma. No entanto, após a exclusão de crianças com história de doença inflamatória, apenas os níveis de BDNF e TNF-α permaneceram aumentados em crianças com trauma. Na população com transtorno bipolar, a história de trauma na infância foi associada a uma diminuição no QI, atenção auditiva e memória verbal e memória de trabalho enquanto um padrão diferente foi observado nos controles saudáveis com história de abuso infantil. Pacientes com THB e trauma também apresentaram menor volume total do CC em comparação aos pacientes com THB e sem trauma, com diferenças significativas também na região anterior do CC. Por outro lado, não encontramos diferenças significativas entre o volume do CC nos pacientes com ou sem trauma em comparação aos controles saudáveis. Estes achados reforçam a extensão e gravidade do impacto negativo do trauma na infância, em diferentes etapas do desenvolvimento, afetando tanto aspectos cognitivos, como neurobiológicos e de morfologia cerebral. / Exposure to traumatic events during childhood is associated with impairment in cognition, neurobiology and brain morphology. However, it is unknown if trauma is related to these changes in samples that do not show the potential confounds of advancing age, chronicity of psychiatry disorder and multiple mood episodes. We evaluated the impact of childhood trauma in two different samples: 1) children with and without childhood trauma; 2) pacients with a BD diagnosis recently recovered from a first manic episode with and without childhood trauma and healthy controls with and without childhood trauma. The results suggest that childhood trauma is associated to changes in neurobiology, cognition and brain morphology. Children with trauma showed higher levels of BDNF, TNF-α, IL-6 e IL-10 compared to children without trauma. However, after excluding children with history of inflammatory disease, only BDNF and TNF-α levels remained increased in children with trauma. In BD patients, the childhood trauma was associated to a decreased IQ, auditory attention, verbal memory, and working memory and a different pattern was observed in healthy subjects with a history of childhood abuse. The total CC volume was found to be smaller in BD patients with trauma compared to BD patients without trauma and differences were more pronounced also in the anterior region of the CC. On the other hand, we did not find significant differences in the CC volume of patients with/without trauma compared to the healthy subjects. These findings reinforce the extent and severity of the negative impact of childhood trauma in different stages of development, affecting cognitive aspects, as well as neurobiological and brain morphology.

In the United States, over three million adults, age 50 and older, reported a diagnosis of serious mental illness (SMI) in the past year. Most of them live in community-settings and are less likely than younger adults to utilize mental health treatment. Lack of and insufficient treatment for SMI places them at increased risk of morbidity, earlier mortality, cognitive decline, and diminished quality of life. The current study aimed to: (1) examine the factors that influence Black and White older adults, who live with SMI, to seek and engage in outpatient mental health treatment; (2) identify the perspectives of Black and White older adults, who live with SMI, on the issues of accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, and availability of outpatient mental health services; and (3) determine whether the perspectives of Blacks and Whites are different on the issues of accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, and availability of outpatient mental health services. I developed a qualitative, interview-based study using the health belief model (HBM) as the theoretical framework. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants, between the ages of 50-70 years (mean age 58.9), who had a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Data themes related to factors that influenced outpatient mental health treatment and services were identified and organized based on the six HBM constructs. Perceived barriers to mental health treatment engagement included lack of knowledge about available treatment and services in the community, poor mental health literacy, and stigma. Improved sense of well-being and increased socialization were perceived benefits of mental health treatment engagement. Risk of homelessness emerged from the data as the main influence for Black and White older adults, who live with SMI, to seek and engage in outpatient mental health treatment. For all participants, access to and availability of mental health services were not current issues. All except one participant had some type of medical coverage for their treatment and most of them felt that their current treatment was appropriate. There were no differences between Black and White older adults on the issues of accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, and availability of outpatient mental health services. In addition, Black participants did not feel a need for mental health services to be specifically tailored to Black older adults, and instead indicated they saw no differences in Blacks and Whites related to mental health services. These findings are contrary to existing research and may be indicative of the gravity of mental illness-related stigma, compared to racial stigma. Better promotion of available mental health services in the community, mental health outreach, and community education about mental illness may be helpful for earlier identification of symptoms related to mental illness, earlier treatment and intervention, stigma reduction, and improved health and quality of life for community-residing older adults who live with SMI.

Background: Reported rates of bipolar syndromes are highly variable between studies because of age differences, differences in diagnostic criteria, or restriction of sampling to clinical contacts. Method: In 1395 adolescents aged 14–17 years, DSM-IV (hypo)manic episodes (manic and hypomanic episodes combined), use of mental health care, and five ordinal subcategories representing the underlying continuous score of (hypo)manic symptoms (‘mania symptom scale’) were measured at baseline and approximately 1.5, 4 and 10 years later using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (DIA-X/M-CIDI). Results: Incidence rates (IRs) of both (hypo)manic episodes and (hypo)manic symptoms (at least one DSM-IV core symptom) were far higher (714/105 person-years and 1720/105 person-years respectively) than traditional estimates. In addition, the risk of developing (hypo)manic episodes was very low after the age of 21 years [hazard ratio (HR) 0.031, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0050–0.19], independent of childhood disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Most individuals with hypomanic and manic episodes were never in care (87% and 62% respectively) and not presenting co-morbid depressive episodes (69% and 60% respectively). The probability of mental health care increased linearly with the number of symptoms on the mania symptom scale. The incidence of the bipolar categories, in particular at the level of clinical morbidity, was strongly associated with previous childhood disorders and male sex. Conclusions: This study showed, for the first time, that experiencing (hypo)manic symptoms is a common adolescent phenomenon that infrequently predicts mental health care use. The findings suggest that the onset of bipolar disorder can be elucidated by studying the pathway from non-pathological behavioural expression to dysfunction and need for care.

A literature search, supplemented by an expert survey and selected reanalyses of existing data from epidemiological studies was performed to determine the prevalence and associated burden of bipolar I and II disorder in EU countries. Only studies using established diagnostic instruments based on DSM-III-R or DSM-IV, or ICD-10 criteria were considered. Fourteen studies from a total of 10 countries were identified. The majority of studies reported 12-month estimates of approximately 1% (range 0.5–1.1%), with little evidence of a gender difference. The cumulative lifetime incidence (two prospective-longitudinal studies) is slightly higher (1.5–2%); and when the wider range of bipolar spectrum disorders is considered estimates increased to approximately 6%. Few studies have reported separate estimates for bipolar I and II disorders. Age of first onset of bipolar disorder is most frequently reported in late adolescence and early adulthood. A high degree of concurrent and sequential comorbidity with other mental disorders and physical illnesses is common. Most studies suggest equally high or even higher levels of impairments and disabilities of bipolar disorders as compared to major depression and schizophrenia. Few data are available on treatment and health care utilization.

En betydande andel individer med bipolär sjukdom upplever kvarvarande, subkliniska symtom mellan egentliga sjukdomsepisoder. Sådana restsymtom är förenade med sänkt livskvalitet och förhöjd risk för återfall i sjukdomsepisoder. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka huruvida en kort, internetadministrerad behandling är genomförbar och kan ge en minskning av depressiva restsymtom, genom interventioner riktade mot sömn och emotionsreglering. För detta syfte användes en single-subject design med upprepade mätningar (n=4). Studiens resultat visar att behandlingen är genomförbar och att den, för vissa individer, kan ge en minskning av depressiva restsymtom. Vidare forskning kring behandlingen är motiverad. / A significant proportion of persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience subclinical, residual symptoms between major episodes. Residual symptoms are associated with poor quality of life and increased risk of relapse. The current study aims at investigating whether a time limited, internet-based treatment targeting disturbed sleep and emotion regulation is feasible and successful in reducing residual depressive symptoms. Pertaining to this purpose, a single-subject design with repeated measures was used (n=4). Results show that the treatment is feasible and, for some individuals, can lead to a decrease in depressive symptoms. Future studies regarding this treatment are warranted.

Bipolär sjukdom är en kronisk sjukdom där personen upplever maniska och depressiva perioder. Under manin får personen en ökad energinivå, tankarna flödar samt omdömet försämras. Depressionen kännetecknas av nedstämdhet och en dyster sinnesstämning. Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva vilka erfarenheter en person har av att leva med bipolär sjukdom. En narrativ analys har använts. Denna bygger på fyra självbiografier. I resultatet framkom det att det kan ta lång tid innan diagnosen ställs och därmed rätt behandling sätts in. Samtidigt är det vanligt att patienterna slutar ta sina mediciner på grund av biverkningar. Personer med bipolär sjukdom känner ofta oro och ångest inför att insjukna i nya maniska eller depressiva perioder. Känslor som oro och ångest kan i kombination med depressiva perioder leda till självskadebeteende. Till exempel att de skär sig. Den som drabbas av bipolär sjukdom kan ha stor nytta av familjen som skyddsnät. Även andra personer som är i en likande situation kan vara ett stort stöd. / Bipolar disorder is a chronic disease where the person experiencing manic and depressive episodes. During mania has the person an increased energy level, the thoughts flow and impaired reviewed. Depression is characterized by sadness and a gloomy mood. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience a person has to live with bipolar disorder. A narrative analysis was used. This is based on four autobiographies. The results showed that it can take a long time before getting diagnosed and therefore the appropriate treatment. While it is common that patients stop taking their medications because of side effects. People with bipolar disorder often feel anxiety before falling ill with manic or depressive episodes. Emotions such as worry and anxiety can be combined with depressive episodes lead to self-injury. For example, they cut themselves. Those who suffer from bipolar disorder can benefit greatly from their family as a safety-net. Even other people who are in a similar situation can be a great support.

The aims of this study were to explore partners' experiences of living with a loved one with bipolar disorder and how they coped with these experiences. Another aim was to explore whether these individuals felt that Counselling Psychologists could play a role with care-giving tasks and their own psychological needs. Five individuals, who were currently living with, or had been living with, a partner with bipolar disorder, volunteered and participated in a semi-structured interview. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as described by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). A table of super-ordinate and sub-ordinate themes was created as a result of this analysis. Partners' experiences are characterised by various phases which partners could move around and between. This was referred to as the 'cycle of changing illness awareness'. This theme adds to the existing literature. As partners moved around and between these phases they experienced different emotions, employed different coping strategies and had experiences of being 'in it together' interchangeably with being 'isolated and alone'. This research concludes that partners' experiences of caring for a loved one with bipolar disorder do not follow a linear, predictable path and as a result, professionals working with caregivers need to be aware of which phases of the 'cycle of changing illness awareness' partners are in when offering interventions. The analysis also suggests that partners cope differently when their loved one is manic and depressed. However, further exploration is still needed.

No description available.

The objective of this thesis was to determine the association between exposure to parental BD during childhood and risk of mood disorder. Offspring of one parent with BD completed annual clinical assessments as part of a 16-year prospective cohort study. Clinical data in the parents from Ottawa and Halifax were mapped onto the first decade of their offspring’s life to estimate the timing, duration and severity of exposure to their illness. The duration of parental BD was associated with a 2 to 2.5 fold increased risk of any psychopathology (HR: 1.9, 95%CI: 1.0-4.0), and unipolar depression (HR: 2.6, 95%CI: 0.9-7.5), and a 7 fold increased risk of substance use disorders (HR: 7.1, 95%CI: 1.8-37.0). A longer duration of exposure to parental BD may be an important indicator of mood and non-mood psychopathology risk in offspring. This has implications for early intervention and preventive efforts in high-risk youth.