Bipolar and related disorders in DSM-5 and ICD-10.

Bipolar disorders are a group of psychiatric disorders with profound negative impact on affected patients. Even if their symptomatology has long been recognized, diagnostic criteria have changed over time and diagnosis often remains difficult. The Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), issued in May 2013, comprises several changes regarding the diagnosis of bipolar disorders compared to the previous edition. Diagnostic categories and criteria for bipolar disorders show some concordance with the internationally also widely used Tenth Edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). However, there are also major differences that are worth highlighting. The aim of the following text is to depict and discuss those.

Are the bipolar disorders best modelled categorically or dimensionally?

OBJECTIVE: Considerable debate exists as to whether the bipolar disorders are best classified according to a categorical or dimensional model. This study explored whether there is evidence for a single or multiple subpopulations and the degree to which differing diagnostic criteria correspond to bipolar subpopulations. METHOD: A mixture analysis was performed on 1081 clinically diagnosed (and a reduced sample of 497 DSM-IV diagnosed) bipolar I and II disorder patients, using scores on hypomanic severity (as measured by the Mood Swings Questionnaire). Mixture analyses were conducted using two differing diagnostic criteria and two DSM markers to ascertain the most differentiating and their associated clinical features. RESULTS: The two subpopulation solution was most supported although the entropy statistic indicated limited separation and there was no distinctive point of rarity. Quantification by the odds ratio statistic indicated that the clinical diagnosis (respecting DSM-IV criteria, but ignoring 'high' duration) was somewhat superior to DSM-IV diagnosis in allocating patients to the putative mixture analysis groups. The most differentiating correlate was the presence or absence of psychotic features. CONCLUSION: Findings favour the categorical distinction of bipolar I and II disorders and argue for the centrality of the presence or absence of psychotic features to subgroup differentiation.

Impact of Irritability and Impulsive Aggressive Behavior on Impairment and Social Functioning in Youth with Cyclothymic Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Research on adults with cyclothymic disorder (CycD) suggests that irritability and impulsive aggression (IA) are highly prevalent among this population. Less is known about whether these behaviors might also distinguish youth with CycD from youth without CycD. Additionally, little is known about how irritability and IA relate to one another, and whether they are associated with different outcomes. This study aimed to compare irritability and IA across diagnostic subtypes to determine whether CycD is uniquely associated with these behaviors, and to assess how irritability and IA relate to youth social and general functioning. METHODS: Participants (n = 459), 11-18 years of age, were recruited from an urban community mental health center and an academic outpatient clinic; 25 had a diagnosis of CycD. Youth and caregivers completed measures of IA and irritability. Youth and caregivers also completed an assessment of youth friendship quality. Clinical interviewers assessed youth social, family, and school functioning. RESULTS: Youth with CycD had higher scores on measures of irritability and IA than youth with nonbipolar disorders, but scores were not different from other youth with bipolar spectrum disorders. Measures of irritability and IA were correlated, but represented distinct constructs. Regression analyses indicated that irritability was related to friendship quality (p < 0.005). Both IA and irritability were related to social impairment (ps < 0.05-0.0005) and Child Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) scores (ps = 0.05-0.005). CycD diagnosis was associated with poorer caregiver-rated friendship quality and social functioning (ps < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that irritability and aggression were more severe among youth with CycD than among youth with nonbipolar diagnoses, but did not differ across bipolar disorder subtypes. Among youth seeking treatment for mental illness, irritability and IA are prevalent and nonspecific. Irritability and IA were uniquely related to our outcomes of social and general functioning, suggesting that it is worthwhile to assess each separately, in order to broaden our understanding of the characteristics and correlates of each.

Bipolar disorder: clinical overview. / Klinik bipolarer Erkrankungen.

Bipolar disorder is a severe psychiatric disorder, characterized by depressive, manic and mixed episodes. The illness affects about 1-2 % of the population. Bipolar I disorders affect both genders equally, whereas bipolar II disorders seem to occur more frequently in women. The classification of the different subtypes of bipolar disorders is done depending on the severity and frequency of the episodes. Other subtypes beside bipolar I and bipolar II disorder are rapid cycling (more than 4 episodes of mania, depression, hypomania or mixed state in one year) and cyclothymia (hypomanic and subdepressive symptoms over a two year period). Besides a thorough psychiatric and neurological examination, further clinical tests should be performed in order to exclude differential diagnosis (psychiatric as well as neurological and somatic diseases). The course of the illness is often negatively affected by the high frequency of psychiatric and somatic comorbidities. After all the prognosis of bipolar disorder is depending on the individual course of the illness. Notably comorbidities and psychotic symptoms seem to have a negative influence on the prognosis.

Examining the validity of cyclothymic disorder in a youth sample: replication and extension.

DSM-IV-TR defines four subtypes of bipolar disorder (BP): bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorder and bipolar not otherwise specified (NOS). However, cyclothymic disorder in children is rarely researched, or often subsumed in an "NOS" category. The present study tests the replicability of findings from an earlier study, and expands on the criterion validity of cyclothymic disorder in youth. Using the Robins and Guze (1970) framework we examined the validity of cyclothymic disorder as a subtype of BP. Using a youth (ages 5-17) outpatient clinical sample (N = 894), participants with cyclothymic disorder (n = 53) were compared to participants with other BP spectrum disorders (n = 399) and to participants with non-bipolar disorders (n = 442). Analyses tested differences in youth with cyclothymic disorder and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified who do, and those who do not, have a parent with BP. Compared to youth with non-bipolar disorders, youth with cyclothymic disorder had higher irritability (p < 0.001), more comorbidity (p < 0.001), greater sleep disturbance (p < 0.005), and were more likely to have a family history of BP (p < 0.001). Cyclothymic disorder was associated with a younger age of onset compared to depression (p < 0.001) and bipolar II (p = 0.05). Parental BP status was not significantly associated with any variables. Results support that cyclothymic disorder belongs on the bipolar spectrum. Epidemiological studies indicate that cyclothymic disorder is not uncommon and involves significant impairment. Failing to differentiate between cyclothymic disorder and bipolar NOS limits our knowledge about a significant proportion of cases of bipolarity.

Bipolar mixed states: an international society for bipolar disorders task force report of symptom structure, course of illness, and diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: Episodes of bipolar disorder are defined as depressive or manic, but depressive and manic symptoms can combine in the same episode. Coexistence or rapid alternation of depressive and manic symptoms in the same episode may indicate a more severe form of bipolar disorder and may pose diagnostic and treatment challenges. However, definitions of mixed states, especially those with prominent depression, are not well established. METHOD: The authors performed literature searches for bipolar disorder, multivariate analyses, and the appearance of the terms "mixed" in any field; references selected from the articles found after the search were combined after a series of conferences among the authors. RESULTS: The authors reviewed the evolution of the concept of mixed states and examined the symptom structure of mixed states studied as predominantly manic, predominantly depressive, and across both manic and depressive episodes, showing essentially parallel structures of mixed states based on manic or depressive episodes. The authors analyzed the relationships between mixed states and a severely recurrent course of illness in bipolar disorder, with early onset and increased co-occurring anxiety-, stress-, and substance-related disorders, and they used this information to derive proposed diagnostic criteria for research or clinical use. CONCLUSIONS: The definitions and properties of mixed states have generated controversy, but the stability of their characteristics over a range of clinical definitions and diagnostic methods shows that the concept of mixed states is robust. Distinct characteristics related to the course of illness emerge at relatively modest opposite polarity symptom levels in depressive or manic episodes.

[Mixed states]. / États mixtes.

The issue of mixed states has an important place in the debate on psychiatric nosography since the end of 19th century. The current definition of mixed states according to the DSM- IV, as a thymic episode of bipolar disorder type I, is probably somewhat too restrictive in clinical practice. Due to the clinical heterogeneity of bipolar disorder, the mixed states will define within a dimensional approach, likely in the next DSM- V. As the evolution, the prognosis or the therapeutic strategies differ from what is applied in other thymic episodes, this transition from "mixed state" to manic or depressive episodes "with mixed features" may be relevant in practice.

Examining the validity of cyclothymic disorder in a youth sample.

BACKGROUND: Four subtypes of bipolar disorder (BP) - bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia and bipolar not otherwise specified (NOS) - are defined in DSM-IV-TR. Though the diagnostic criteria for each subtype are intended for both adults and children, research investigators and clinicians often stray from the DSM when diagnosing pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) (Youngstrom, 2009), resulting in a lack of agreement and understanding regarding the PBD subtypes. METHODS: The present study uses the diagnostic validation method first proposed by Robins and Guze (1970) to systematically evaluate cyclothymic disorder as a distinct diagnostic subtype of BP. Using a youth (ages 5-17) outpatient clinical sample (n=827), participants with cyclothymic disorder (n=52) were compared to participants with other BP spectrum disorders and to participants with non-bipolar disorders. RESULTS: Results indicate that cyclothymic disorder shares many characteristics with other bipolar subtypes, supporting its inclusion on the bipolar spectrum. Additionally, cyclothymia could be reliably differentiated from non-mood disorders based on irritability, sleep disturbance, age of symptom onset, comorbid diagnoses, and family history. LIMITATIONS: There is little supporting research on cyclothymia in young people; these analyses may be considered exploratory. Gaps in this and other studies are highlighted as areas in need of additional research. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclothymic disorder has serious implications for those affected. Though it is rarely diagnosed currently, it can be reliably differentiated from other disorders in young people. Failing to accurately diagnose cyclothymia, and other subthreshold forms of bipolar disorder, contributes to a significant delay in appropriate treatment and may have serious prognostic implications.

Hyperthymic temperament may protect against suicidal ideation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of hyperthymic temperament in suicidal ideation between a sample of patients with affective disorders (unipolar and bipolar). METHOD: We investigated affective disorders outpatients (unipolar, bipolar I, II and NOS) treated in eleven participating centres during at least a six-month period. DSM-IV diagnosis was made by psychiatrists experienced in mood disorders, using the corresponding modules of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). In addition, bipolar NOS diagnoses were extended by guidelines for bipolar spectrum symptoms as proposed by Akiskal and Pinto in 1999. Thereby we also identified NOS III (switch by antidepressants) and NOS IV (hyperthymic temperament) bipolar subtypes. All patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We screened a total sample of 411 patients (69% bipolar), 352 completed all the clinical scales without missing any item. RESULTS: No statistical significant difference in suicidal ideation (measure by BDI item 9 responses) was found between bipolar and unipolar patients (4.5% vs. 9.1%, respectively). On the group of bipolar patients, suicidal ideation was slightly more frequent among bipolar NOS compared with bipolar I and II (p value 0.094 and 0.086, respectively), interestingly we found a statistical significant less common suicidal ideation among bipolar subtype IV (with hyperthymic temperament) compared with bipolar NOS patients (p value 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that those subjects with hyperthymic temperament displayed less suicidal ideation. This finding supports the hypothesis that this particular affective temperament could be a protective factor against suicide among affective patients. LIMITATION: The original objective of the national study was the cross validation between MDQ and BSDS in patients with affective disorders in our country. This report arises from a secondary analysis of the original data.

[Affective disorders: Evolution of nosographic models]. / Troubles affectifs : évolution des modèles nosographiques.

In the history of the nosographies in psychiatry, the affective disorders were gradually distinguished from the other categories of mental disorders, until being considered as separate illness entities, such as what Kraepelin named manic-depressive insanity at the end of the 19th century. The latter will be subsequently divided in two main categories, the bipolar disorder on the one hand and recurrent depression on the other hand, this separation being still current, and extensively diffused by the mean of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM, whose revisions largely determine the evolution of the contemporary nosographic models, mainly relies on a categorical approach of the mental disorders. The next revision will probably continue to follow this kind of approach, even if the use of dimensional components could also be developed. In the future, true nosographic advances can be waited from clinical epidemiology studies, as those which recently made it possible to highlight various sub-types of affective disorders on the basis of clinical, biographical or temperamental characteristics. Etiological approaches, centered on the pathophysiology of the affective disorders, could also contribute to build nosographic models on the basis of an objective knowledge on these diseases.

Factors associated with rapid cycling in bipolar I manic patients: findings from a French national study.

INTRODUCTION: Despite numerous explanatory hypotheses, few studies have involved a large national clinical sample examining risk factors in the occurrence of rapid cycling during the course of bipolar illness. METHODS: From 1,090 manic bipolar I disorder inpatients included in a multicenter national study in France, 958 could be classified as rapid or nonrapid cyclers and assessed for demographic, illness course, clinical, psychometric, temperament, comorbidity, and treatment characteristics. RESULTS: Rapid cycling bipolar disorder occurred in 9% (n=86) of the study group. Compared to nonrapid cyclers (n=872), patients with rapid cycling experienced the onset of their illness at a younger age, a higher number of prior episodes, more depression during the first episode, and more suicide attempts. At study entry, they also experienced manic episodes with more depressive and anxious symptoms, but less psychotic features. The following independent variables were associated with rapid cycling: longer duration of illness, antidepressant treatment, episodes with no free intervals, cyclothymic temperament, lower scores on the Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms and presence of thyroid disorder. Retrospective study limited to bipolar I disorder inpatients; several factors previously associated with rapid cycling were not assessed. CONCLUSION: Our findings may confirm previous descriptions, according to which rapid cycling develops later in the course of illness following a sensitization process triggered by antidepressant use or thyroid dysfunction, in patients with a depression-mania-free interval course, and cyclothymic temperament.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and bipolar spectrum disorders: review of the evidence of a relationship and treatment implications.

Dementia is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by cognitive impairment and behavioral disturbances. The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common, contributing to caregiver burden and premature institutionalization. Management of BPSD is complex and often needs recourse to psychotropic drugs. Though widely prescribed, there is a lack of consensus concerning their use, and serious side effects are frequent. This is particularly the case with antidepressant treatment based on the assumption that BPSD is depressive in nature. A better understanding of BPSD etiology could lead to better management strategies. We submit that some BPSD could be the consequence of both dementia and an undiagnosed comorbid bipolar spectrum disorder, or a pre-existing bipolar diathesis pathoplastically altering the clinical expression of dementia. The existence of such a relationship is based on clinical observation, as far as the high frequency of bipolar spectrum disorders in the general population, with a prevalence estimated to be between 5.4% and 8.3%, and the psychopathological similarities between BPSD and mood disorder episodes in bipolar illness. We will review the concept of the bipolar spectrum and explain BPSD before proposing clinical pointers of a possible bipolar spectrum contaminating the phenomenology of dementia, which could lead to the targeted prescription of mood-stabilizing agents in lieu of antidepressant monotherapy. These considerations are of heuristic interest in reconceptualizing the origin of the behavioral manifestations of dementia, with important implications for geriatric practice.

Rapid cycling bipolar disorders in primary and tertiary care treated patients.

OBJECTIVE: Rapid cycling (RC) affects 13-30% of bipolar patients. Most of the data regarding RC have been obtained in tertiary care research centers. Generalizability of these findings to primary care populations is thus questionable. We examined clinical and demographic factors associated with RC in both primary and tertiary care treated populations. METHOD: Clinical data were obtained by interview from 240 bipolar I disorder (BDI) or bipolar II disorder (BDII) community-treated patients and by chart reviews from 119 bipolar patients treated at an outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital. RESULTS: Lifetime history of rapid cycling was present in 33.3% and 26.9% of patients from the primary and tertiary care samples, respectively. Among community-treated patients, lifetime history of RC was significantly associated with history of suicidal behavior and higher body mass index. There was a trend for association between RC and BDII, psychiatric comorbidity, diabetes mellitus, as well as lower age of onset of mania/hypomania. In the tertiary care treated sample there was a trend for association between lifetime history of RC and suicidal behavior. Tertiary versus primary care treated subjects with lifetime history of RC demonstrated markedly lower response to mood stabilizers. CONCLUSIONS: Lifetime history of RC is highly prevalent in both primary and tertiary settings. Even primary care treated subjects with lifetime history of RC seem to suffer from a more complicated and less treatment-responsive variant of bipolar disorder. Our findings further suggest relatively good generalizability of data from tertiary to primary care settings.

Rapid cycling bipolar disorder--diagnostic concepts.

OBJECTIVES: This paper reviews the literature to examine the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for rapid cycling in bipolar disorder. METHODS: Studies on the clinical characteristics of rapid cycling bipolar disorder were reviewed. To identify relevant papers, literature searches using PubMed and MEDLINE were undertaken. RESULTS: First observed in the prepharmacologic era, rapid cycling subsequently has been associated with a relatively poor response to pharmacologic treatment. Rapid cycling can be conceptualized as either a high frequency of episodes of any polarity or as a temporal sequence of episodes of opposite polarity. The DSM-IV defines rapid cycling as a course specifier, signifying at least four episodes of major depression, mania, mixed mania, or hypomania in the past year, occurring in any combination or order. It is estimated that rapid cycling is present in about 12-24% of patients at specialized mood disorder clinics. However, apart from episode frequency, studies over the past 30 years have been unable to determine clinical characteristics that define patients with rapid cycling as a specific subgroup. Furthermore, rapid cycling is a transient phenomenon in many patients. CONCLUSIONS: While a dimensional approach to episode frequency as a continuum between the extremes of no cycling and continuous cycling may be more appropriate and provide a framework to include ultra-rapid and ultradian cycling, the evidence does not exist today to refine the DSM-IV definition in a less arbitrary manner. Continued use of the DSM-IV definition also enables comparisons between past and future studies, and it should be included in the next release of the ICD. Further scientific investigation into rapid cycling is needed. In addition to improving the diagnostic criteria, insight into neurophysiologic mechanisms of mood switching and episode frequency may have important implications for clinical care.

A study of the incidence of bipolar spectrum disorders in a private psychiatric practice.

An audit of the diagnosis of 300 consecutive new cases presenting in a private practice over the period of the last four years (from January 2003 to December 2006) is presented. The main observation is the high percentage of patients who fall within the bipolar spectrum who are diagnosed and reported. In particular, there is a large proportion of patients who suffer from Bipolar II illness. The consequences of this in the diagnosis and management of patients is discussed.

Alcoholism and homicide with respect to the classification systems of Lesch and Cloninger.

AIMS: Worldwide criminal statistics show a disproportionately high incidence of violent offences committed under the influence of alcohol. A psychopathological subtyping of alcohol dependence in offenders who committed homicide has mainly been related to impulsive and dissocial personalities up to now. METHODS: In an investigation on 48 alcohol-dependent offenders who committed homicide, a subtyping according to the multidimensional classification systems of Lesch and Cloninger has now been conducted for the first time. RESULTS: In Lesch's classification, there was a high incidence of homicides committed by type II and type III subjects with the comorbidity anxiety and cyclothymia. While type III offenders were more often repeat offenders, there was a remarkably high rate of first offenders among type II subjects (Chi-squared test; chi(2) = 30.0, df = 3, P < 0.001). With respect to Lesch's typology, the blood alcohol concentrations did differ significantly in the group of offenders (Kruskal-Wallis, chi(2) = 18.3, df = 3, P < 0.001), whereas the blood alcohol concentration of type II offenders at the time of offence was significantly lower than in type III offenders (Mann-Whitney-U, Z = -3.47; P = 0.001). Regarding to the Cloninger's typology, no significant differences in the aforementioned parameters could be found. DISCUSSION: An excessive noradrenergic reaction of anxiety offenders with initial withdrawal is discussed as a possible explanatory model.

Toward a definition of a cyclothymic behavioral endophenotype: which traits tap the familial diathesis for bipolar II disorder?

BACKGROUND: Although the cyclothymic temperament appears to be related to the familial diathesis of bipolar disorder, exhibiting high sensitivity for bipolar II (BP-II) disorder, it is presently uncertain which of its constituent traits are specific for this disorder. METHODS: In a sample of 446 major depressive patients (BP-II and unipolar), in the French National EPIDEP study, the cyclothymic temperament was assessed by using clinician- and self-rated scales. We computed the frequency of individual traits and relative risk for family history of bipolarity. RESULTS: From both clinician- and self-rated scales, four items related to mood reactivity, energy, psychomotor and mental activity were significantly highly represented in the subgroup with positive family history of bipolarity. The item "rapid shifts in mood and energy" obtained the highest relative risk (OR=3.42) for positive family history of bipolarity. CONCLUSION: These findings delineate those cyclothymic traits which are most likely to tap a familial-genetic diathesis for BP-II, thereby identifying traits which can best serve as a behavioral endophenotype for this bipolar subtype. Such an endophenotype might underlie the cyclic course of bipolar disorder first described in France 150 years ago by Falret and Baillarger.

Temperament in the clinical differentiation of depressed bipolar and unipolar major depressive patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in temperament profiles between patients with recurrent unipolar and bipolar depression. METHOD: Depressed individuals with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 94) and those with bipolar (n = 59) disorders (about equally divided between types I and II) were recruited by newspaper advertisement, radio and television announcements, flyers and newsletters, and word of mouth. All patients were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III-R (SCID) and had the severity of their depressive episode assessed by means of the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. All patients filled out the TEMPS-A, a validated instrument. RESULTS: Temperament differences between bipolar and MDD patients were examined using MANCOVA. Overall significant effect of the fixed factor (bipolar vs. unipolar) was noted for the temperament scores [Hotelling's F((5,142)) = 2.47, p < 0.05]. Overall effects were found for age [F((5,142)) = 2.40, p < 0.05], but not for gender and severity of depression [F((5,142)) = 1.65, p = 0.15 and F((5,142)) = 0.66, p = 0.66, respectively]. Dependent variables included the five subscales of the TEMPS-A, but only the cyclothymic temperament scores showed significant between-group differences. LIMITATION: Small bipolar subsample cell sizes did not permit to test the specificity of the findings for bipolar II vs. bipolar I patients. CONCLUSION: The finding that the clyclothymic subscale is significantly elevated in the bipolar vs. the unipolar depressive group supports the theoretical assumptions upon which the scale is based, and suggests that it might become a useful tool for clinical and research purposes.