[Affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions of personality in Bipolar Disorder]. / Temperamenti affettivi e dimensioni psicopatologiche di personalità nel Disturbo Bipolare.

OBJECTIVES: The first objective of our study is the evaluation of correlation between affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions in a clinical sample of patients with Bipolar Disorder and the individualization of possible differences within the three diagnostic subtypes (bipolar I, II and cyclothymia). The second one is to observe whether any specific temperament may influence the number of hospitalizations or the age of the bipolar depression onset. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the Bipolar Disorder Unit of Policlinico Gemelli (Rome, Italy) a group of 60 patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) has been enrolled. All patients have been submitted to the TEMPS-A for the evaluation of affective temperament and TCI-R for the evaluation of psychopathological dimensions of personality. RESULTS: BD I group showed 5 significant correlations from moderate (r=0.40) to high degree (r=0.60). SD dimension of TCI shows 3 significant correlations with TEMPS-A dimensions: it is inversely correlated with Cyclothymia (r= -0.57; p<0.01), Irritability (r=0.60; p<0.01) and Anxiety (r=-.45; p<0.05). BDII group showed 5 significant correlations. Irritability dimension of TEMPS-A presented the highest number of correlations with TCI dimensions: it was inversely correlated to SD (r= -.65; p<0.01) and directly correlated with HA (r=0.48; p<0.05) and ST (r=-0.49; p<0.05). In the comparison of diagnostic groups with regards to temperamental dimensions, only Hyperthymia and Irritability dimensions were significative. CONCLUSIONS: Many works have evaluated temperament through the use of these two tools (TEMPS-A and TCI-R) but few have analysed correlation between them and none has focused attention on patients with bipolar disorder diagnosis only.

[Diagnosis of deficit and attention/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in patients with bipolar or unipolar depression: an experimental study]. / Diagnosi pregressa di Disturbo da Defi cit d'Attenzione/Iperattività (ADHD) in pazienti con Depressione Bipolare e Unipolare: uno studio sperimentale.

INTRODUCTION: The present research study starts up from the current scientific and academic interest concerning Deficit and Attention/Hyperactivity Disorders, which in this period seems to have an "epidemic" diffusion. Some authors have proved how the Deficit and Attention/Hyperactivity Disorder may predispose to the development of other psychopathological attitude in adulthood. A recent study has underlined a common comorbidity between ADHD in childhood and Bipolar Disorder. The aim of the present was to verify the existence of an ADHD diagnosis in patients with depression (Unipolar and Bipolar) and to verify if such syndrome overstays in the present psychopathological picture. Moreover there has been even the intention to investigate on a difference in ADHD symptomatology in patients with Bipolar and Unipolar Depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study has been conducted on a sample of 67 patients with depression diagnosis (35 patients with bipolar depression diagnosis, 32 patients with depression unipolar diagnosis) enrolled at the Bipolar Disorders Unit of the Clinical Psychiatry and Drug Dependence Institute of the Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli in Rome. The evaluation has been performed through the supply of the following psychometric tests: Neo Personality Inventory (Mole-pi-R), Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (Brown ADD-Scale), Adult ADHD Self-Report Staircases (ASRS-v1.1), Criteria of the Deficit and Attention / Hyperactivity Disorder for childhood according to the DSM-IV-Tr. RESULTS: The achieved results point out that 42% of the sample has satisfied the ADHD Criterions during their childhood according to the DSM-IV-Tr and that symptomatology seems to remain in the present psychopathological picture. As to polarity of depression it has emerged that patients with Bipolar Depression diagnosis have satisfied with a greater frequency the ADHD criteria during their childhood than patients with Unipolar Depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results seem to confirm the hypothesis that patients with bipolar depression diagnosis have more Deficit and Attention / Hyperactivity Disorders comorbidity diagnosis than others.

[An observational study evaluating comorbidity between bipolar disorder and personality disorders]. / Comorbilità fra Disturbo Bipolare e Disturbi di Personalità: uno studio osservazionale.

OBJECTIVES: In literature there are a few studies evaluating comorbidity between bipolar disorder (type I, II and cyclothymic ) and personality disorders. Aim of the current study is to deepen the existing comorbidity between Axis II and the three subtypes of bipolar disorder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the Psychiatry Day Hospital of Gemelli Polyclinic seventy patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (type I, II and cyclothymic ) were enrolled. Axis I diagnosis was defined by the SCID-I. Axis II diagnosis was made by the SCID-II. RESULTS: Of seventy patients in euthymic state, thirty-nine patients (55.7%) show comorbidity with Axis II. The different clusters are such represented: two patients (5.1%) are part of cluster A, twenty-four patients (61.5%) of cluster B, nine patients (23%) of cluster C, and four patients (10.4%) have Not Otherwise Specified personality disorder. On the whole thirty-nine patients whereof twenty-four (61.5%) with bipolar disorder type I, six (15.3%) with bipolar disorder type II and nine patients (23.0%) with cyclothymic disorder show comorbidity for a Axis II disorder. It must be observed that, in our sample, the comorbidity between cyclothymic and personality disorder is significant. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample more than half of the patients (55.7%) show a comorbidity for a Axis II disorder. Most of the patients present a Cluster B personality disorder and even cyclothymic patients in 23% of cases have comorbidity with Axis II disorders.