Duration of untreated bipolar disorder: a multicenter study.
Little is known about the demographic and clinical differences between short and long duration of untreated bipolar disorder (DUB) in Chinese patients. This study examined the demographic and clinical features of short (≤2 years) and long DUB (>2 years) in China. A consecutively recruited sample of 555 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) was examined in 7 psychiatric hospitals and general hospital psychiatric units across China. Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. The mean DUB was 3.2 ± 6.0 years; long DUB accounted for 31.0% of the sample. Multivariate analyses revealed that longer duration of illness, diagnosis of BD type II, and earlier misdiagnosis of BD for major depressive disorder or schizophrenia were independently associated with long DUB. The mean DUB in Chinese BD patients was shorter than the reported figures from Western countries. The long-term impact of DUB on the outcome of BD is warranted.
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, China &Center of Depression, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders &Mood Disorders Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.|Unit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
Ling
L
Zhang
Peking University Institute of Mental Health (the sixth Hospital) &National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders &the key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, China.
Xin
X
Yu
Division of Mood Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yi-Ru
YR
Fang
The University of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia.|School of Psychiatry &Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Gabor S
GS
Ungvari
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Chee H
CH
Ng
Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Helen F K
HF
Chiu
The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
Hui-Chun
HC
Li
Division of Mood Disorders, Shenzhen Mental Health Centre, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China.
Hai-Chen
HC
Yang
Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shannxi province, China.
Qing-Rong
QR
Tan
Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan province, China.
Xiu-Feng
XF
Xu
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, China &Center of Depression, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders &Mood Disorders Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Gang
G
Wang
Unit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
Yu-Tao
YT
Xiang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult