Abstract

Objective
Bipolar disorder is a chronic disease of 1% in the population although the prevalence in the elderly is low as 0.1%. The prevalence and incidence of major depression doubled after the age of 70-85. The study aims to investigate sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of geriatric inpatients with bipolar disorder(BD) and unipolar depression(UD).
Method
In the study, demographic and clinical characteristics of 65 years and older patients with BD and UD who hospitalized in Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery were compared through medical records. Patients diagnosed with substance/medication-induced mood disorders, mood disorders due to another medical condition or dementia, delirium were excluded from the study.
Results
The average age of patients is 69.3. The study included 93 patients; 51 patients(54.8%) are diagnosed BD, 42 of them(45.2%) are diagnosed UD. The age of onset was found 59.21 for UD and 41.33 for BD(p=0.000). Hospitalization ratio in the patients with suicidal ideation was 78.6%(n=33) in UD and 17.6%(n=9) in BD(p=0.000). While 20(47.6%) of UD patients had suicide attempt at least once, 12(%23.5) of BD patients attempted suicide before(p=0.03). The drug incompatibility ratio in BD patients was found 51.0%(n=26), while it was significantly lower in UD patients(26.2%; n=11)(p=0.000). Antipsychotics in the treatment of BB group(100%) were used more frequently than patients with depression (76.2%)( p=0.000)
Conclusions
Important clinical differences were detected between geriatric unipolar and bipolar inpatients.

Key words: Bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, geriatric patient

Article Language: Turkish English