[Study of the remission period (between crises) of unipolar and bipolar manic depressive disorders. Personal study of 95 patients]

Abstract

The personality abnormalities observed during unipolar and bipolar manic-depressive disorders are known for years by german psychiatry as depressive temperament. In USA many works based on DSM III criteria have studied personality abnormalities coexisting with depression. The most frequently abnormalities are dependent, avoidant, compulsive, border line personality, observed with a frequency of 48% (P.A. Pilkonis) to 74% of patients (T.M. Shea et al.). But the personality traits or disorders are not the disorders only observed during remissions and intercrisis. Our personal work have studied the other disorders. This work concern pre-morbid period and intercrisis of 95 manic-depressed patients (45 unipolar and 50 bipolar patients). The time of remission is at least three months. Remission is certified by maximum scores of 10 on MADRS, 12 on Bech-Rafaelsen scale. The study of personality traits and other mental disorders is based on DSM III-R criteria. It is completed by Hamilton-Anxiety-Scale, Eysenck Personality Inventory and Beth-Israel Questionnaire of Sifneos. This study shows the following results. In pre-morbid period, the anxiety disorders are statistically more frequent in unipolar patients: generalized anxiety (35%), panic disorder (27%), psychosomatic disorders (30.5%). During intercrisis, the anxiety disorders are statistically more frequent in unipolar patients: generalized anxiety (51.1%), agoraphobia (31.1%) obsessive disorders (26.6%), panic disorder (18.2%). But this co-morbidity with anxious disorders is highly correlated with the incomplete characteristic of remission. During remission the personality abnormalities are similar to american studies, more frequent in unipolar patients, particularly obsessive personality (22.2 to 4%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)