Bipolar disorder comorbidity in patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD |
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Authors: | Gayatri Saraf Imon Paul Biju Viswanath Janardhanan C Narayanaswamy Suresh Bada Math |
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Institution: | Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India |
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Abstract: | Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is considered to be a common comorbid condition in subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but there is limited literature on the prevalence of BD and its clinical correlates in those with a primary diagnosis of OCD.Methods: We studied the prevalence of BD in a sample of consecutively registered outpatients attending a specialty OCD clinic in India over a period of 13 months. One hundred and seventy-one patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD were assessed systematically using structured and semi-structured instruments.Results: The prevalence of lifetime BD in OCD was 4%. The OCD?+?BD group had an episodic course of OCD and higher rate of lifetime suicide attempts.Conclusions: BD may not be as highly prevalent in OCD as reported in literature. Those with OCD seem to have only a marginally higher risk for developing BD than the general population. A diagnosis of BD seems to have a pathoplastic effect on the course of OCD. Patients with OCD-BD comorbidity have to be specifically assessed for suicide risk. |
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Keywords: | Obsessive-compulsive disorder co-morbidity bipolar disorder mood disorders |
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