title: Quality of life in bipolar disorder patients: a comparison with a general population sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the Quality of Life (QoL) of bipolar disorder (BD) patients with that of the general population; and, within the BD patients, to find the demographic and clinical variables associated with low QoL, controlling for the effects of potential confounders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the 25th percentile of the physical (PCS) and the mental (MCS) component scores (PCS <53 and MCS < 50, respectively) of the Medical Outcomes Survey 36-item Short-Form Health-Survey (SF-36) of a general population representative sample (n = 1,210), we compared by logistic regression the QoL of 48 euthymic and 60 non-euthymic BD outpatients and the general population. Within BD patients, we analyzed the clinical and course-of-illness variables associated with low physical and mental QoL, including manic and depressive symptoms and consumption of addictive substances; in addition, we calculated the partial correlation of the different variables with the dimensional PCS and MCS through multiple linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low physical QoL was significantly more frequent among both euthymic [odds ratio (OR) = 3.5; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-6.5] and non-euthymic (OR = 4.0; 95% CI: 2.3-7.0) BD patients than in the general population; the respective values for low mental QoL were OR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2-4.0 and OR = 8.5; 95% CI: 4.6-15.7. Low mental QoL was more frequent among non-euthymic than euthymic BD patients (OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.6-9.1). Within BD patients, low mental QoL was associated with the length of illness (or early onset), the presence of depressive symptoms, nicotine dependence and the lack of social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the BD patients, who experience lower physical and mental QoL even in a euthymic period, the optimal control of depressive symptoms as well as the availability of social support may enhance their well-being.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Service, Complejo Hospitalario Ciudad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Rojas
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gurpegui
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ayuso-Mateos
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Ariza
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Veguilla
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jurado
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires