Abstract

Objective: Purpose of the current study is to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics, prognoses and episode characteristics between patients on a single mood stabilizer treatment and those on double mood stabilizer treatment.
Methods: The follow-up files of 167 patients who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for bipolar-I disorder were examined retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups, with 136 patients on a single mood stabilizer and 31 patients on double mood stabilizer treatment. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the groups were evaluated. The data derived from the study were analyzed with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 17.0. The data were evaluated with chi-square and t test.
Results: The number of women was significantly higher in the single mood stabilizer group. The total number of episodes and hospitalizations were higher in patients on double mood stabilizer treatment compared to the single mood stabilizer group. When comparing within the single medication group, the total number of episodes and hospitalizations in patients using Lithium were significantly lower than in patients on valproat.
Conclusion: Patients medicated with double mood stabilizer may be more difficult to treat and have a poorer prognosis than patients medicated with a single mood stabilizer. The number of female patients was greater in the single mood stabilizer group, which may indicate a generally more positive outcome in women. However, this research was cross-sectional and had a relatively low sample size, making it rather difficult to come to a more definite conclusion. Therefore, follow-up studies with a greater number of patients on a single mood stabilizer over an extended period of time are required.

Key words: Bipolar disorder, clinical characteristics, mood stabilizer