Temperament in Bipolar I Patients with Rapid Cycling

42028

Objective: The relationship between affective temperament and mood disorders arouse interest in recent years as affective temperament is supposed to have an impact on the clinical expression and course of mood disorders. The aim of this study is to specify and compare the temperamental features of bipolar I patients which had prior rapid cycling on the course of ilness. Material and Methods: 144 patients were included in the study who have been diagnosed as bipolar I mood disorder based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and followed at Rasit Tahsin Mood Disorder Unit in Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery. The patients who had prior rapid cycling on the course of ilness were specified and their temperamental features were investigated via TEMPS-A scale. Results: The proportion of bipolar I patients with prior rapid cycling was 25% in this study. Patients with prior rapid cycling showed significantly higher mean scores of depressive (0,001), cyclothymic (p 0,0001), hyperthymic (p 0,0001), irritable (p=0,007) and anxious (p 0,0001) temperament compared to patients without rapid cycling in the past. Discussion: Up to our literature survey, this study is the first in its field which investigate the relationship between rapid cycling diagnosis based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and temperament. All the patients in our study were euthymic, but it is imposible to exclude the effect of possible residual subthreshold symptoms of bipolar disorder over present temperemental state. Yet, the premorbid temperament could not be assessed retrospectively as well. Conclusion: İt seems that affective temperament features play a role on the occurrence of rapid cycling. Prior rapid cycling must be considered in every study on temperament which will be made with bipolar I disorder.

86

Bipolar I disorder , temperament , rapidcycling

Kocatepe Medical Journal

94

Kocatepe Medical Journal