title: Clinical differences between bipolar and unipolar depression.
abstract: It is commonly -- but wrongly -- assumed that there are no important differences between the clinical presentations of major depressive disorder and bipolar depression. Here we compare clinical course variables and depressive symptom profiles in a large sample of individuals with major depressive disorder (n=593) and bipolar disorder (n=443). Clinical characteristics associated with a bipolar course included the presence of psychosis, diurnal mood variation and hypersomnia during depressive episodes, and a greater number of shorter depressive episodes. Such features should alert a clinician to a possible bipolar course. This is important because optimal management is not the same for bipolar and unipolar depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Wales School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Liz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forty
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caesar
authors.forename: Carly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gordon-Smith
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGuffin
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Craddock
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales