Free Interval Duration: Clinical Evidence of the Primary Role of Excitement in Bipolar Disorder

Title:Free Interval Duration: Clinical Evidence of the Primary Role of Excitement in Bipolar Disorder

Volume: 15 Issue: 3

Author(s): Gabriele Sani*, Alessio Simonetti, Daniela Reginaldi, Alexia E. Koukopoulos, Antonio Del Casale, Giovanni Manfredi, Georgios D. Kotzalidis and Paolo Girardi

Affiliation:

• Department Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Rome,Italy

Keywords: Bipolar disorder, cycle, depression, episode, interval, mania, phase.

Abstract: Background: Cyclicity is the essential feature of Bipolar disorder, but the effect of different cycle patterns on the clinical features is poorly understood. Moreover, no studies investigated the relationship between mania and depression inside the manic-depressive cycle.

Objective: The aim of this study is to verify the presence of a relationship between the manic and the depressive phase during the course of bipolar disorder.

Method: 160 consecutive patients with BD type I were recruited and followed for a mean period of 10 years. During the follow-up period, four types of euthymic phases were collected: free intervals present between a depressive and a manic/hypomanic episode (D-M); free intervals present between a manic/hypomanic and a depressive episode (M-D); free intervals present between two depressive episodes (D-D); free intervals present between two manic/hypomanic episodes (M-M). One-way ANOVA using the groups as independent variable and the duration of the free intervals as dependent variables was used. Furthermore, ANOVA was followed by Fisher's Protected Least Significant Difference post-hoc test to measure between-group differences.

Results: M-D-free interval phases were shorter than D-M-free intervals. M-D intervals were the shortest ones, the D-D and D-M did not differ, and the M-M were the longest.

Conclusion: The strict temporal link between manic and depressive phases supports the idea that the manic-depressive cycle usually begins with a manic episode, and that the subsequent depression is often the consequence of subsiding mania.

Cite this article as:

Sani Gabriele*, Simonetti Alessio, Reginaldi Daniela, Koukopoulos E. Alexia, Casale Del Antonio, Manfredi Giovanni, Kotzalidis D. Georgios and Girardi Paolo, Free Interval Duration: Clinical Evidence of the Primary Role of Excitement in Bipolar Disorder, Current Neuropharmacology 2017; 15 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X14666160607085851

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X14666160607085851	Print ISSN 1570-159X
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1875-6190