Which of the Following is the Most Common Neuropsyc
Published on Psychiatric Times
(http://www.psychiatrictimes.com)
Which of the Following is the Most Common Neuropsychiatric
Disorder in Bipolar Disorder?
March 10, 2011 | Bipolar Disorder [1], Bipolar II Disorder [2], Comorbidity In Psychiatry [3], Major
Depressive Disorder [4], Neuropsychiatry [5]
By Roger S. Mcintyre, MD, FRCPC [6]
Dr McIntyre discusses bipolar disorder and several studies in medical comorbidity in general and
more specifically neurological comorbidity.
Q:
Which is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is associated with both medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Disparate medical
conditions include, but are not limited to, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and thyroid
disorders. In addition, individuals with bipolar disorder are differentially affected by several
neurological disorders. The neurological disorders commonly encountered are migraine, tremors,
movement disorders, and in some cases, dementing disorders. During the past decade, several
clinical and epidemiological studies have reported on medical comorbidity in general and more
specifically neurological comorbidity.
Results from these studies indicate that migraine headache is prevalent and may differentially affect
individuals with bipolar disorder relatives to people with major depressive disorder. Moreover, it
appears as though migraine headaches in a bipolar individual are associated with a more severe
illness course as indicated by earlier age of onset; more anxiety comorbidity; higher use of
polytherapy, disability, and welfare benefits; decreased quality of life; and increased utilization of
services.
It is currently estimated that the lifetime migraine prevalence rate of bipolar disorder ranges from
15% to 77%. The highest reported prevalence rate of reported migraine is in individuals with bipolar
spectrum disorders (eg, bipolar II disorder). An interesting observation is that individuals with
unipolar disorder and migraine headaches appear to cluster more “bipolar traits” (eg, irritability,
seasonal variation, and family history of migraines). Available neurobiological and treatment data
indicate that bipolar disorder and migraine are discreet conditions with overlapping substrates. It has
been hypothesized that bipolar disorder and comorbid migraine comprise a distinct subphenotype of
bipolar disorder. Practitioners are encouraged to screen their patients for the presence/history of
migraine headaches.
A:
Source URL:
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-disorder/which-following-most-common-neuropsychiatric-dis
order-bipolar-disorder
Links:
[1] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-disorder
[2] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-ii-disorder
[3] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/comorbidity-psychiatry
[4] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/major-depressive-disorder
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Which of the Following is the Most Common Neuropsyc
Published on Psychiatric Times
(http://www.psychiatrictimes.com)
[5] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/neuropsychiatry
[6] http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/authors/roger-s-mcintyre-md-frcpc
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