Our results suggest a high rate of lifetime concurrent anxiety disorders in bipolar disorder .
The diagnostic issues at the interface are particularly difficult because of the substantial symptom overlap .
BACKGROUND Bipolar affective disorder has a high rate of comorbidity with a multitude of psychiatric disorders and medical conditions .
Among all the potential comorbidities , co-existing anxiety disorders st and out due to their high prevalence .
AIMS To determine the lifetime prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders in bipolar affective disorder under the care of psychiatric services through systematic review and meta- analysis .
Anxiety disorder comorbidity in bipolar disorder patients: data from the first 500 participants in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD).
OBJECTIVE The authors provide a detailed perspective on the correlates of comorbid anxiety in a large , well-characterized sample of bipolar disorder patients . METHOD Anxiety and its correlates were examined in a cross-sectional sample from the first 500 patients with bipolar I or bipolar II disorder enrolled in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder , a multicenter project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health design ed to evaluate the longitudinal outcome of patients with bipolar disorder . RESULTS Lifetime comorbid anxiety disorders were common , occurring in over one-half of the sample , and were associated with younger age at onset , decreased likelihood of recovery , poorer role functioning and quality of life , less time euthymic , and greater likelihood of suicide attempts . Although substance abuse disorders were particularly prevalent among patients with anxiety disorders , comorbid anxiety appeared to exert an independent , deleterious effect on functioning , including history of suicide attempts ( odds ratio=2.45 , 95 % CI=1.4 - 4.2 ) . CONCLUSIONS An independent association of comorbid anxiety with greater severity and impairment in bipolar disorder patients was demonstrated , highlighting the need for greater clinical attention to anxiety in this population , particularly for enhanced clinical monitoring of suicidality . In addition , it is important to determine whether effective treatment of anxiety symptoms can lessen bipolar disorder severity , improve response to treatment of manic or depressive symptoms , or reduce suicidality
Our results suggest a high rate of lifetime concurrent anxiety disorders in bipolar disorder .
The diagnostic issues at the interface are particularly difficult because of the substantial symptom overlap .
BACKGROUND Bipolar affective disorder has a high rate of comorbidity with a multitude of psychiatric disorders and medical conditions .
Among all the potential comorbidities , co-existing anxiety disorders st and out due to their high prevalence .
AIMS To determine the lifetime prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders in bipolar affective disorder under the care of psychiatric services through systematic review and meta- analysis .