P0129 - The prevalence of mixed episodes during the course of illness in bipolar disorder

Abstract

Aim:

To investigate the prevalence of mixed episodes during the course of illness in bipolar disorder.

Methods:

A total of 1620 patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder at the first psychiatric contact were identified in a period from 1994 to 2003 in Denmark and the prevalence of mixed, depressive and hypomanic/manic episodes were calculated at each episode.

Results:

The prevalence of mixed episodes increased from the first episode to the tenth episode, however, only for women (6.7 % of the first episodes leading to psychiatric care compared to 18.2 % of the tenth episodes). For men, the prevalence of mixed episodes was constantly low. At all episodes, the presence of a current mixed episode increased the risk substantially of getting a future mixed episode.

Conclusion:

Clinicians should pay more attention to mixed episodes, especially among women, as they may represent an increasing treatment challenge as the illness progress.