Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of 424 patients with bipolar disorder
| Demographic characteristics | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Male | 166 (39.2%) |
| Bipolar disorder subtype | |
| Bipolar I disorder | 404 (95.3%) |
| Bipolar II disorder | 20 (4.7%) |
| History of rapid cycling in the previous year | 23 (5.4%) |
| Polarity at first episode | |
| Depressive episode | 109 (25.8%) |
| Manic/hypomanic episode | 274 (64.8%) |
| Mixed | 28 (6.6%) |
| Unknown | 12 (2.8%) |
| Psychiatric disorder in first degree relative | |
| Bipolar disorder | 55 (13.0%) |
| Major depressive disorder | 25 (5.9%) |
| Schizophrenia | 19 (4.5%) |
| Anxiety disorders | 14 (3.3%) |
| Substance use disorders | 4 (1.0%) |
| Participants with one comorbidity or more | 83 (19.6%) |
| Generalized anxiety disorder | 18 (5.3%) |
| Obsessive compulsive disorder | 15 (4.4%) |
| Panic disorder | 14 (4.1%) |
| Agoraphobia | 13 (3.8%) |
| Social phobia | 9 (2.6%) |
| Alcohol use disorder | 31 (9.1%) |
| Non-alcohol use disorder | 11 (3.2%) |
| Mean (±SD) | |
|
| |
| Age at entry (years) | 42.7 (±12.3) |
| Age at onset of illness (years) | 31.8 (±11.9) |
| Age at first diagnosis (years) | 36.4 (±12.1) |
| Duration to undiagnosed bipolar disorder (years) | |
| Depressive episode | 4.8 (±6.7) |
| Manic/hypomanic episode | 4.0 (±6.9) |
| Mixed | 1.3 (±4.1) |
| Age at first hospitalization (years) | 34.5 (±11.7) |
| Number of mood episodes prior to entry | 5.0 (±5.3) |
| Number of hospitalizations prior to entry | 2.9 (±2.6) |
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.