Rapid cycling in women and men with bipolar manic-depressive disorders.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated risks for rapid cycling, as defined by DSM-IV, in women and men with bipolar disorders.


METHODS
The results of 10 studies with a total of 2,057 bipolar patients were meta-analyzed by pooled contingency methods.


RESULTS
The proportions of women and men among rapid-cycling cases averaged 72% and 28%, respectively, but the risk of rapid cycling was inconsistently more frequent among women (29.6%) than among men (16.5%). The mean number of episodes per year was much higher in rapid-cycling patients before and during lithium treatment but was similar in rapid-cycling men and women.


CONCLUSIONS
Rapid cycling was only moderately, and inconsistently, more common in bipolar women than men.
Tondo
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Mailman Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
Baldessarini
R J
RJ
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors
D008094:Lithium