Disability associated with mood states and comparator conditions: application of the Life Skills Profile measure of disability.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the comparative level of disability experienced by those with mania and depression by contrasting against levels of disability experienced by those with schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and drug and alcohol dependence.


METHODS
Disability data, measured by use of an abbreviated version of the Life Skills Profile, were collected from an Australian national survey assessing more than 20,000 episodes of care, involving in-patients and out-patients.


RESULTS
Those with a diagnosis of mania rated as having higher levels of disability than those with depression and somewhat lower levels of disability than those with schizophrenia in the 3 months prior to assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
Such data from a large national survey underline the increasingly recognized reality that those experiencing manic episodes have high levels of associated disability, and that management interventions are required that address the impact of impaired functioning as well as acute episodes.
Parker
Gordon
G
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia. g.parker@unsw.edu.au
Rosen
Alan
A
Trauer
Tom
T
Hadzi-Pavlovic
Dusan
D
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012917:Social Adjustment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires