Background and Aims: Bipolar disorder (BD) is related to high dis- ability rates and significant social costs. The aim of the survey was to collect the main socio-demographic and clinical variables of bipolar patients referring to Italian public psychiatric services. The survey was conducted with the support of the Italian ISBD section. Methods: Each centre enrolled 20–50 bipolar subjects over a 3- months-period, for three times between 2014 and 2015. Patients underwent a diagnostic (MINI) and psychometric assessment (HAM-D, HAM-A, YMRS, Mood Insight Scale, CGI). Statistical descriptive analyses were performed.
Results: Twenty-eight centres collected 1,674 patients (M = 714, F = 960, mean age 48.7 + 13.5 SD years). A positive psychiatric family history was found in 9.2%. The duration of illness was 17 + 12.6 SD years, whereas the age at first BD episode was 31.3 + 12 SD years, comparable to the age at first contact with a mental health service. The predominant polarity over the course of illness was depressive in 47.3% of cases, followed by manic polarity (26.2%). A similar pattern of frequency was reported for the first BD episode. First psychiatric diagnosis was formulated at 30.6 + 11.9 SD years, being more frequently Major Depressive Disorder (43.9%) and BD (32.7%). Patients received the first BD diagnosis and appropriate treatment around 37.4 + 13.4 SD years. Conclusions: BD is often related to a delayed diagnosis and, frequently, treatment is limited to acute phases rather than be aimed to long-term mood stabilization. Therefore, a raised awareness among psychiatric services is needed in order to detect and treat earlier the disorder.
