Excessive substance use in bipolar disorder is associated with impaired functioning rather than clinical characteristics, a descriptive study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a strong association between bipolar disorder (BD) and substance use disorder (SUD). The clinical and functional correlates of SUD in BD are still unclear and little is known about the role of excessive substance use that does not meet SUD criteria. Thus, the aims of the current study were to investigate lifetime rates of illicit substance use in BD relative to the normal population and if there are differences in clinical and functional features between BD patients with and without excessive substance use.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>125 consecutively recruited BD in- and outpatients from the Oslo University Hospitals and 327 persons randomly drawn from the population in Oslo, Norway participated. Clinical and functional variables were assessed. Excessive substance use was defined as DSM-IV SUD and/or excessive use according to predefined criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The rate of lifetime illicit substance use was significantly higher among patients compared to the reference population (OR = 3.03, CI = 1.9-4.8, p < .001). Patients with excessive substance use (45% of total) had poorer educational level, occupational status, GAF-scores and medication compliance, with a trend towards higher suicidality rates, compared to patients without. There were no significant group differences in current symptom levels or disease course between groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The percentage of patients with BD that had tried illicit substances was significantly higher than in the normal population. BD patients with excessive substance use clearly had impaired functioning, but not a worse course of illness compared to patients without excessive substance use. An assessment of substance use beyond SUD criteria in BD is clinically relevant.</p

Psychiatric and general medical comorbidity

The observation that chronic disorders occur together frequently has become of increasing interest as it is now viewed as the norm and not the exception. Of concern is the increasing trend of comorbidity in younger populations especially in areas of socioeconomic deprivation and low income countries. There are reasons why comorbidity is of great importance not only in the context of diagnostic classification, aetiology and pathogenesis but also for models of health-care delivery, rationalisation of pharmacotherapy, patients’ self management and the complex simultaneous utilisation of health-care systems. There is a need, therefore, for a better understanding of the coexistence of various diseases in order to develop more effective and cost-effective interventions to improve health and social outcomes. Comorbidity in medicine is now viewed as one of the major challenges in the twenty-first century in terms of prevention and treatment. With comorbidity comes the increasing risk of mental health problems especially depression leading to potentially more complications and worse prognosis overall. It is already well established that those with severe mental illness suffer increased comorbid conditions and a reduced life expectancy due to predominantly comorbid cardiovascular problems. Fragmentation in the health-care system and the current single disease model only exacerbate the problem of effectively helping people experiencing comorbidities and especially comorbidities involving both mental and physical conditions. New ways of thinking are required to redesign healthcare systems for the development of effective early intervention and screening to treat coexisting conditions and enable clinicians to deliver more integrated person-centred care to improve health outcomes and quality of life for this population

Medical Comorbidities in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) medical comorbidity presents significant clinical and public health concerns with serious impact on health. The aim of this article is to present an updated narrative review of original research articles (case control, longitudinal cohort, and cross-sectional studies) and meta-analyses published in English language journals from January 2013 to May 2017 focusing on general medical comorbidity in BD, including the added risks of iatrogenic factors relevant to the treatment of BD. We found numerous patterns of association between BD and various medical disorders involving multiple organ systems. One pattern indicated reciprocal increase in the rate of each comorbid condition, such as an increased rate of BD in asthma or migraine, and likewise an increase in the rate of asthma or migraine in patients with BD. A second pattern was a predominantly unidirectional increase in the rate of BD in patients with certain medical disorders, such as multiple sclerosis or cerebellar diseases. A third pattern was a predominantly unidirectional increased rate of medical disorders in patients with BD. One study suggested the potential involvement of genetic mechanisms for the association between BD and migraine. Most of the studies had cross-sectional or retrospective designs, and many relied on analysis of large administrative databases inviting multiple potential biases. Our review highlights the association between BD and a variety of medical disorders. Further research is needed to elucidate the potential underlying etiopathological mechanisms that contribute to observed comorbidities. The results of this review also emphasize the need for comprehensive screening for medical disorders in BD and for adoption of an integrated model of care to address these complex comorbidities