Course and outcome of bipolar disorder — focusing on depressive aspects

Abstract

The prognosis of an illness is perhaps relatively more valuable in psychiatry than in other therapeutic areas, because the lack of a laboratory-based diagnostic test and poor biological markers in mental disorders limit outcome predictions based mostly on the information from the psychiatric interview and examination. This is particularly true in bipolar disorder. In this chapter the authors summarize the main factors predicting course and outcome in bipolar disorder with a focus on depressive symptoms. The natural course, the impact of first episode, the impact of depressive phase, cycle length, onset, age, gender, type of illness, personality traits and temperament, co-morbidity, family history, life events, and outcome features will be reviewed. Conceptual models and their prognostic value will be discussed as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)