title: Quality of life in patients with bipolar disorder--a comparison with schizophrenic patients and healthy controls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the past, the first goal of bipolar disorder treatment was the reduction of symptoms of mania or depression, rather than the recovery of social functioning. Recently, as a result of an increased emphasis on patient needs, the concept of quality of life (QoL) has been brought into the treatment of physical illnesses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The purpose of the present study was to examine QoL data in patients with bipolar disorder in clinical remission and to determine the extent of the effects of demographic and clinical data on QoL in these patients. The second aim was to compare the QoL data of these patients to that of patients with schizophrenia in clinical remission and to that of healthy controls. Data were obtained using a QoL questionnaire (Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, or Q-LES-Q) for 41 bipolar patients in clinical remission. The data were then compared with the data of 40 schizophrenic patients in clinical remission and with 40 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were higher mean scores in most Q-LES-Q summary scales in the bipolar patients than in the schizophrenic patients. There were higher mean scores in the bipolar patients in some summary scales than in the healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest the same or higher subjective QoL in bipolar patients in clinical remission in comparison with healthy controls and higher subjective QoL in bipolar patients in clinical remission than in schizophrenic patients in clinical remission.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, I. P. Pavlova 6, Olomouc, 775 20, Czech Republic. klaralat@centrum.cz
authors: Klara
authors: K
authors: Latalova
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Prasko
authors: Tomas
authors: T
authors: Diveky
authors: Dana
authors: D
authors: Kamaradova
authors: Hana
authors: H
authors: Velartova
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs