Impact of axis II comorbidity on the course of bipolar illness in men: a retrospective chart review

Objectives:  The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of comorbid personality disorder influences the course of bipolar illness.
Methods:  Fifty-two euthymic male bipolar I out-patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID II). Bipolar patients with an axis II diagnosis were compared with those without an axis II diagnosis on retrospectively obtained demographic, clinical and course of illness variables.
Results:  Thirty-eight percent of the bipolar patients met criteria for an axis II diagnosis. Two (4%) met criteria for (only) a Cluster A disorder, four (8%) for (only) a Cluster B, and six (12%) for (only) a Cluster C disorder. One (2%) bipolar patient met criteria a disorder in both Clusters A and B, and one (2%) for a disorder in Clusters B and C. Five (10%) met criteria for at least one disorder in Clusters A and C, and one met criteria for disorders in Clusters A, B, and C. The presence of a personality disorder was significantly associated with a lower rate of current employment, a higher number of currently prescribed psychiatric medications, and a higher incidence of a history of both alcohol and substance use disorders compared with the bipolar patients without axis II pathology.
Conclusions:  Our results extend previous findings of an association between comorbid personality disorder in bipolar I patients and factors that suggest a more difficult course of bipolar illness.     

Bipolar obsessive-compulsive disorder and personality disorders

OBJECTIVES: Relatively few systematic data exist on the clinical impact of bipolar comorbidity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and no studies have investigated the influence of such a comorbidity on the prevalence and pattern of Axis II comorbidity. The aim of the present study was to explore the comorbidity of personality disorders in a group of patients with OCD and comorbid bipolar disorder (BD). METHODS: The sample consisted of 204 subjects with a principal diagnosis of OCD (DSM-IV) and a Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score>or=16 recruited from all patients consecutively referred to the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin over a period of 5 years (January 1998-December 2002). Diagnostic evaluation and Axis I comorbidities were collected by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Personality status was assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). Socio-demographic and clinical features (including Axis II comorbidities) were compared between OCD patients with and without a lifetime comorbidity of BD. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients with OCD (10.3%) met DSM-IV criteria for a lifetime BD diagnosis: 4 (2.0%) with BD type I and 17 (8.3%) with BD type II. Those without a BD diagnosis showed significantly higher rates of male gender, sexual and hoarding obsessions, repeating compulsions and lifetime comorbid substance use disorders, when compared with patients with BD/OCD. With regard to personality disorders, those with BD/OCD showed higher prevalence rates of Cluster A (42.9% versus 21.3%; p=0.027) and Cluster B (57.1% versus 29.0%; p=0.009) personality disorders. Narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders were more frequent in BD/OCD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point towards clinically relevant effects of comorbid BD on the personality profiles of OCD patients, with higher rates of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders in BD/OCD patients.     

The comorbidity of bipolar disorder and axis II personality disorders: prevalence and clinical correlates

Objectives:  Many studies have examined the prevalence and predictive validity of axis II personality disorders among unipolar depressed patients, but few have examined these issues among bipolar patients. The few studies that do exist suggest that axis II pathology complicates the diagnosis and course of bipolar disorder. This study examined the prevalence of axis II disorder in bipolar patients who were clinically remitted.
Methods:  We assessed the co-occurrence of personality disorder among 52 remitted DSM-III-R bipolar patients using a structured diagnostic interview, the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE).
Results:  Axis II disorders can be rated reliably among bipolar patients who are in remission. Co-diagnosis of personality disorder occurred in 28.8% of patients. Cluster B (dramatic, emotionally erratic) and cluster C (fearful, avoidant) personality disorders were more common than cluster A (odd, eccentric) disorders. Bipolar patients with personality disorders differed from bipolar patients without personality disorders in the severity of their residual mood symptoms, even during remission.
Conclusions:  When structured assessment of personality disorder is performed during a clinical remission, less than one in three bipolar patients meets full syndromal criteria for an axis II disorder. Examining rates of comorbid personality disorder in broad-based community samples of bipolar spectrum patients would further clarify the linkage between these sets of disorders.     

Criminal conviction, impulsivity, and course of illness in bipolar disorder

Swann AC, Lijffijt M, Lane SD, Kjome KL, Steinberg JL, Moeller FG. Criminal conviction, impulsivity, and course of illness in bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disord 2011: 13: 173–181. © 2011 The Authors.
Journal compilation © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective: Criminal behavior in bipolar disorder may be related to substance use disorders, personality disorders, or other comorbidities potentially related to impulsivity. We investigated relationships among impulsivity, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or borderline personality disorder symptoms, substance use disorder, course of illness, and history of criminal behavior in bipolar disorder. Methods: A total of 112 subjects with bipolar disorder were recruited from the community. Diagnosis was by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID‐I and SCID‐II); psychiatric symptom assessment by the Change version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS‐C); severity of Axis II symptoms by ASPD and borderline personality disorder SCID‐II symptoms; and impulsivity by questionnaire and response inhibition measures. Results: A total of 29 subjects self‐reported histories of criminal conviction. Compared to other subjects, those with convictions had more ASPD symptoms, less education, more substance use disorder, more suicide attempt history, and a more recurrent course with propensity toward mania. They had increased impulsivity as reflected by impaired response inhibition, but did not differ in questionnaire‐measured impulsivity. On logit analysis, impaired response inhibition and ASPD symptoms, but not substance use disorder, were significantly associated with criminal history. Subjects convicted for violent crimes were not more impulsive than those convicted for nonviolent crimes. Conclusions: In this community sample, a self‐reported history of criminal behavior is related to ASPD symptoms, a recurrent and predominately manic course of illness, and impaired response inhibition in bipolar disorder, independent of current clinical state.     

DSM-III symptom disorders (Axis I) and personality disorders (Axis II) in an outpatient population

Type and prevalence of Axis I and Axis II disorders (DSM-III) were assessed in a sample of 298 consecutive psychiatric outpatients. The instruments used were SCID and SIDP. About half of the Axis I diagnoses consisted of different subgroups of depression. Most patients had more than one diagnosis, anxiety being the second most common disorder. Eighty one percent of the subjects met the criteria for a personality disorder diagnosis; half of them obtained more than one Axis II diagnosis. Personality disorder was more common among men than among women. Avoidant and dependent personality disorders constituted the most frequent diagnoses.     

Personality disorders in patients with panic disorder: association with childhood anxiety disorders, early trauma, comorbidity, and chronicity.

The rates of comorbid personality disorders in patients with panic disorder are reported to be elevated, have an adverse impact on the response to treatment, and increase the likelihood of relapse on treatment discontinuation. We examined the rates of personality disorders in panic disorder patients in a longitudinal, naturalistic study of panic disorder. Of 100 panic disorder patients studied, 42 met criteria for at least one personality disorder as determined by the Personality Disorder Questionnaire-Revised (PDQ-R). The presence of a personality disorder as determined by the PDQ-R was associated with a past history of childhood anxiety disorders, comorbidity with other anxiety disorders and depression, and a chronic, unremitting course of panic disorder in adulthood. The presence of a personality disorder in these patients was not significantly associated with a history of physical or sexual abuse in childhood. Our findings support the notion that an anxiety diathesis, demonstrated by significant difficulties with anxiety in childhood, influences the development of apparent personality dysfunction in panic patients. In other cases, personality pathology may reflect the presence of comorbid anxiety disorders or depression. The association of personality disorder in panic patients with a more unremitting course of illness underscores the importance of axis II pathology in understanding the longitudinal course of panic disorder.     

Borderline personality disorder and the misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder

Recent reports suggest bipolar disorder is not only under-diagnosed but may at times be over-diagnosed. Little is known about factors that increase the odds of such mistakes. The present work explores whether symptoms of borderline personality disorder increase the odds of a bipolar misdiagnosis. Psychiatric outpatients (n = 610) presenting for treatment were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality for DSM-IV axis II disorders (SIDP-IV), as well as a questionnaire asking if they had ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder by a mental health care professional. Eighty-two patients who reported having been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder but who did not have it according to the SCID were compared to 528 patients who had never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Patients with borderline personality disorder had significantly greater odds of a previous bipolar misdiagnosis, but no specific borderline criterion was unique in predicting this outcome. Patients with borderline personality disorder, regardless of how they meet criteria, may be at increased risk of being misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.     

Low anxiety disorder comorbidity rate in bipolar disorders in Han Chinese in Taiwan

Objectives

Studies report high comorbidity of lifetime anxiety disorders with bipolar disorders in Western patients, but it is unclear in Taiwan. The authors explored the comorbidity of anxiety disorders in different bipolar disorder subtypes in Han Chinese in Taiwan.

Methods

Three hundred twenty-five patients with bipolar disorder (bipolar I: 120; bipolar II: 205) disorder were recruited from two general medical outpatient services. They were evaluated and their diagnoses confirmed by a psychiatrist using the Chinese version of the Modified Schedule of Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia-Lifetime. The exclusion criteria were: any DSM-IV-TR Axis I diagnosis, other than bipolar disorder, being outside the 18-65-year-old age range, any other major and minor mental illnesses except anxiety disorder, any neurological disorders or organic mental disorders.

Results

Thirty-two (26.7%) of patients were comorbid with lifetime anxiety disorder and bipolar I, 80 (39.0%) with lifetime anxiety disorder and bipolar II, 7 (5.8%) were comorbid with two or more anxiety disorders and bipolar I, and 27 (13.2%) with two or more anxiety disorders and bipolar II.

Conclusion

That more than twice as many bipolar II than bipolar I patients reported two or more anxiety disorders implies that the complication is more prevalent in bipolar II patients.     

Clinical characteristics of depressed outpatients previously overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder

The diagnosis of bipolar disorder in depressed patients requires the ascertainment of prior episodes of mania and hypomania. Several research reports and commentaries have suggested that bipolar disorder is underrecognized and that many patients with nonbipolar major depressive disorder have, in fact, bipolar disorder. In a previous article from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we reported the opposite phenomenon—that bipolar disorder is often overdiagnosed in psychiatric outpatients. An important question that has not been previously examined is whether there is a particular clinical or demographic profile associated with bipolar disorder overdiagnosis among depressed patients. Forty psychiatric outpatients with current major depressive disorder reported having been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which was not confirmed when interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID). Psychiatric diagnoses, clinical and demographic variables were compared in these 40 patients and 233 depressed patients who were not diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Patients were interviewed by a highly trained diagnostic rater who administered the SCID for DSM-IV Axis I disorders, the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality for DSM-IV Axis II disorders, and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for clinical features of depression. The depressed patients who were overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder were diagnosed with a significantly higher number of Axis I disorders and were more likely to be diagnosed with specific phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug abuse/dependence. The patients overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder were also significantly more likely to be diagnosed with a current personality disorder and were more chronically ill with greater psychosocial impairment. Thus, the results suggest that depressed outpatients who had previously been overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder were more chronically and severely ill than depressed outpatients who had not been overdiagnosed.     

Lifetime prevalence of substance or alcohol abuse and dependence among subjects with bipolar I and II disorders in a voluntary registry

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of substance abuse dependence and/or alcohol abuse dependence among subjects with bipolar I versus bipolar II disorder in a voluntary registry.

Method: One hundred randomly selected registrants in a voluntary case registry for bipolar disorder were interviewed, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis I Disorders, to validate the diagnosis of this registry. Corroborative information was obtained from medical records, family members and the treating psychiatrist. Eighty‐nine adults (18–65 years) met criteria for bipolar disorder (bipolar I=71, bipolar II=18) and were included in this analysis.

Results: Forty‐one (57.8%) subjects with bipolar I disorder abused, or were dependent on one or more substances or alcohol, 28.2% abused, or were dependent on, two substances or alcohol, and 11.3% abused or were dependent on three or more substances or alcohol. Nearly 39% of bipolar II subjects abused or were dependent on one or more substances, nearly 17% were dependent on two or more substances or alcohol, and 11% were dependent on three or more substances or alcohol. Alcohol was the most commonly abused drug among either bipolar I or II subjects.

Conclusions: Consistent with other epidemiologic and hospital population studies, this voluntary bipolar disorder registry suggests a high prevalence of comorbidity with alcohol and/or substance abuse dependence. Bipolar I subjects appear to have higher rates of these comorbid conditions than bipolar II subjects; however, as the number of bipolar II subjects was rather small, this suggestion needs confirmation.     

Comorbid personality disorders in subjects with panic disorder: do personality disorders increase clinical severity?

Personality disorders are common in subjects with panic disorder. Personality disorders have been shown to affect the course of panic disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine which personality disorders affect clinical severity in subjects with panic disorder. This study included 122 adults (71 women, 41 men) who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ( DSM-IV ) criteria for panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). Clinical assessment was conducted by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders, and the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale, Global Assessment Functioning Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Patients who had a history of sexual abuse were assessed with Sexual Abuse Severity Scale. Logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, sexual abuse, and early onset of disorder. The rates of comorbid Axes I and II psychiatric disorders were 80.3% and 33.9%, respectively, in patients with panic disorder. Patients with panic disorder with comorbid personality disorders had more severe anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia symptoms, had earlier ages at onset, and had lower levels of functioning. The rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were 34.8% and 9.8%, respectively, in subjects with panic disorder. The rate of patients with panic disorder and a history of childhood sexual abuse was 12.5%. The predictor of sexual abuse was borderline personality disorder. The predictors of suicide attempt were comorbid paranoid and borderline personality disorders, and the predictors of suicidal ideation were comorbid major depression and avoidant personality disorder in subjects with panic disorder. In conclusion, this study documents that comorbid personality disorders increase the clinical severity of panic disorder. Borderline personality disorder may be the predictor of a history of sexual abuse and early onset in patients with panic disorder. Paranoid and borderline personality disorders may be associated with a high frequency of suicide attempts in patients with panic disorder.     

Personality disorders in elderly patients with dysthymic disorder.

The authors evaluated personality disorders in elderly patients with DSM-IV dysthymic disorder (DD) to identify prevalent personality disorders and their clinical correlates. Outpatients (>/=60 years; N=76) with DD were evaluated; most were male (65.8%) and had late age at onset (>50 years: 60.5%). Axis II disorders were present in 31.2% of patients, with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCD; 17.1%) and avoidant personality disorder (11.8%) being the most common. Personality disorders were associated with an earlier age at onset of depressive illness, greater lifetime history of comorbid Axis I disorders, greater severity of depressive symptoms, and lower socioeconomic status. Personality disorders occurred in a minority of elderly patients with DD and mainly comprised the obsessive-compulsive and avoidant subtypes, similar to reports of personality disorders in elderly patients with major depression. In contrast, young adults with DD have been shown consistently to have personality disorders at high frequency. Together with the predominance of late onset and the lack of psychiatric comorbidity, the current findings on personality disorders reinforce our view that DD in elderly patients is typically a different disorder from DD in young adults.     

Sustained unemployment in psychiatric outpatients with bipolar disorder: frequency and association with demographic variables and comorbid disorders

Zimmerman M, Galione JN, Chelminski I, Young D, Dalrymple K, Ruggero CJ. Sustained unemployment in psychiatric outpatients with bipolar disorder: frequency and association with demographic variables and comorbid disorders.
Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 720–726. © 2010 The Authors.
Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: The negative impact of bipolar disorder on occupational functioning is well established. However, few studies have examined the persistence of unemployment, and no studies have examined the association between diagnostic comorbidity and sustained unemployment. In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we described the amount of time unemployed in the five years before the evaluation in a large cohort of outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and determined the demographic and clinical correlates of sustained unemployment. Methods: A total of 206 patients diagnosed with DSM‐IV bipolar I or bipolar II disorder were interviewed with semi‐structured interviews assessing comorbid Axis I and Axis II disorders, demographic and clinical variables. The interview included an assessment of the amount of time missed from work due to psychiatric reasons during the past five years. Persistent unemployment was defined as missing up to two years or more from work. Results: Less than 20% of the patients reported not missing any time from work due to psychiatric reasons, and more than one‐third missed up to two years or more from work. Prolonged unemployment was associated with increased rates of current panic disorder and a lifetime history of alcohol abuse or dependence. Patients with prolonged unemployment were older and experienced more episodes of depression. Conclusions: Most patients presenting for the treatment of bipolar disorder have missed some time from work due to psychiatric reasons, and the persistence of employment problems is considerable. Comorbid psychiatric disorders are a potentially treatable risk factor for sustained unemployment. It is therefore of public health significance to determine if current treatments are effective in bipolar disorder patients with current panic disorder, and if not, to attempt to develop treatments that are effective.     

Assessment of co-morbidity of adult separation anxiety in patients with bipolar disorder

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the co-morbidity of adult separation anxiety in bipolar patients and evaluate its effects on the course of disorder and functionality. Method: A total of 70 patients who have been regularly followed in the Bipolar Disorder Unit were included in the study. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV – Axis I and Axis II disorders and demographic form were used. Separation anxiety was investigated by the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SCI-SAS) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was filled out by an interviewer. In addition, all patients completed the Bipolar Disorder Functioning Questionnaire (BDFQ), Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI) and Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA). Results: The prevalence rate of co-morbid adult separation anxiety disorder (A-SepAD) was 54% (n = 38) in our sample. Age of onset was in adulthood among 36% of patients with a diagnosis of A-SepAD and the others (64%) were childhood-onset. Co-morbidity of personality disorders was more common in bipolar patients with childhood-onset separation anxiety disorder (C-SepAD). The lifetime prevalence of co-morbidity of specific phobias and number of suicide attempts were significantly higher in the group with A-SepAD. Functionality loss due to feeling of stigmatization was higher, and total functionality as measured by the BDFQ was found to be lower in bipolar patients with A-SepAD. Conclusion: The results of this study have shown that 54% of bipolar patients had a diagnosis of A-SepAD. A-SepAD seems to increase the number of suicide attempts and have negative effects on functionality. A-SepAD should be assessed in regular interviews of patients with bipolar disorder.     

Differences in Axis I and II comorbidity between bipolar I and II disorders and major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a comprehensive view of differences in current comorbidity between bipolar I and II disorders (BD) and (unipolar) major depressive disorder (MDD), and Axis I and II comorbidity in BD in secondary-care psychiatric settings. METHOD: The psychiatric comorbidity of 90 bipolar I and 101 bipolar II patients from the Jorvi Bipolar Study and 269 MDD patients from the Vantaa Depression Study were compared. We used DSM-IV criteria assessed by semistructured interviews. Patients were inpatients and outpatients from secondary-care psychiatric units. Comparable information was collected on clinical history, index episode, symptom status, and patient characteristics. RESULTS: Bipolar disorder and MDD differed in prevalences of current comorbid disorders, MDD patients having significantly more Axis I comorbidity (69.1% vs. 57.1%), specifically anxiety disorders (56.5% vs. 44.5%) and cluster A (19.0% vs. 9.9%) and C (31.6% vs. 23.0%) personality disorders. In contrast, BD had more single cluster B personality disorders (30.9% vs. 24.6%). Bipolar I and bipolar II were similar in current overall comorbidity, but the prevalence of comorbidity was strongly associated with the current illness phase. CONCLUSIONS: Major depressive disorder and BD have somewhat different patterns in the prevalences of comorbid disorders at the time of an illness episode, with differences particularly in the prevalences of anxiety and personality disorders. Current illness phase explains differences in psychiatric comorbidity of BD patients better than type of disorder.     

Cross‐prevalence of migraine and bipolar disorder

Ortiz A, Cervantes P, Zlotnik G, van de Velde C, Slaney C, Garnham J, Turecki G, O’Donovan C, Alda M. Cross‐prevalence of migraine and bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 397–403. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective: In two related studies, we explored the prevalence of migraine and its associated clinical characteristics in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) as well as psychiatric morbidity in patients treated for migraine. Method: The first study included 323 subjects with BD type I (BD I) or BD type II (BD II), diagnosed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Lifetime version (SADS‐L) format, or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis I Disorders (SCID). Migraine history was assessed by means of a structured questionnaire. In a second sample of 102 migraine patients, we investigated current and lifetime psychiatric morbidity using the SADS‐L. Statistical analyses were conducted using nonparametric analysis and log‐linear models. Results: A total of 24.5% of BD patients had comorbid migraine; those with BD II had a higher prevalence (34.8%) compared to BD I (19.1%) (p < 0.005). BD patients with comorbid migraine had significantly higher rates of suicidal behaviour, social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive‐compulsive disorder (all p < 0.05). In the sample of migraine patients, 34.3% had a current psychiatric diagnosis, and 73.5% had a lifetime psychiatric diagnosis. The prevalence of BD I was 4.9%, and 7.8% for BD II. Discussion: Migraine is prevalent within the BD population, particularly among BD II subjects. It is associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour and comorbid anxiety disorders. Conversely, migraine sufferers have high rates of current and lifetime psychopathology. A greater understanding of this comorbidity may contribute to our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of BD.     

Psychiatric comorbidity as a predictor of clinical response to nortriptyline in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND: A number of studies of major depressive disorder suggest that psychiatric co-morbidity may contribute to treatment resistance. The purpose of this study was to test whether the presence of comorbid Axis I and Axis II disorders predicts clinical response to an open trial of nor-triptyline among patients with treatment-resistant depression. METHOD: Ninety-two outpatients with treatment-resistant DSM-III-R major depressive disorder were enrolled in a 6-week open trial of nor-triptyline (Nov. 1992-Jan. 1999). The presence of comorbid Axis I and Axis II disorders was established at baseline with the use of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Chi-square analyses were used to test Axis I or Axis II co-morbid conditions as a predictor of clinical response to nortriptyline. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients (42.4%) responded to nortriptyline. The presence of avoidant personality disorder (p <.01) predicted poorer response to nortriptyline. The response rate was 16.7% for patients with and 48.6% for patients without comorbid avoidant personality disorder. No other comorbid diagnoses were found to predict clinical response in a statistically significant manner. CONCLUSION: The presence of avoidant personality disorder conferred a poorer prognosis in treatment-resistant depression patients treated with nortriptyline.     

Validity of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Among Veterans Seeking Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

This paper examines the validity of the Structured Clinic Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) I and II in a sample of Veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). Participants (N?=?183) initially receiving residential or outpatient treatment for SUDs completed the SCID I and II. More than one-third of participants met criteria for an Axis I disorder, and almost one-half met criteria for an Axis II disorder. Concurrent, discriminant, and predictive validity were examined for diagnoses of SUDs and antisocial personality disorder (APD), as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and thought disorder. Results generally provided strong support for the concurrent, discriminant, and predictive validity of the SCID I diagnoses of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and strong support for the concurrent and discriminant validity of drug use disorders (DUDs). There was mixed support for the concurrent validity of APD. Predictive validity for DUDs or APD was not supported.     

Axis I and axis II comorbidity in panic/agoraphobic patients with and without suicidal ideation

In view of the controversial relationship between certain aspects of panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA), suicidal ideation and comorbidity, the purposes of this study were to compare severity of PDA and Axis I and Axis II comorbidity in PDA patients with and without suicidal ideation, and to examine predictors of suicidal ideation in these patients. Eighty-eight consecutive outpatients with PDA were administered structured diagnostic interviews for the DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II disorders (SCID-I and SCID-II), while the severity of PDA was assessed by means of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. Of the patients, 25 (28.4%) reported suicidal ideation in past years ('ideators'). The severity of PDA was greater among ideators, and they were significantly more likely to have a personality disorder and more than one comorbid Axis I and Axis II disorder. There were no ideators without either Axis I or Axis II comorbidity. Univariate logistic regression identified several predictors of suicidal ideation: any DSM-IV Cluster C personality disorder, any DSM-IV Cluster B personality disorder, any comorbid mood disorder, and severity of PDA. With multivariate logistic regression, a combination of any Cluster C personality disorder and severity of PDA emerged as the most significant predictor of suicidal ideation. These findings have implications for clinical practice in that PDA patients should be carefully assessed for the severity of their illness and presence of certain personality disorders and comorbid mood disorders, because they may all increase the risk for suicidal ideation.