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Background: Mood disorders are considered related to anxiety disorders and their association may determine clinical course and prognosis. We aimed to describe with retrospective methodology the demographic, clinical, and treatment features in a group of panic disorder comorbid with bipolar I disorder (PD–BI) patients who were been treated for at least 3 year-period and compare them with bipolar I (BI) patients who were treated during the same period. Method: We compared the demographic and clinical data of 26 PD–BI, 28 BI, and 25 panic disorder (PD) outpatients without history of comorbidity with mood disorder were diagnosed and treated for at least 3 years in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Results: PD group have a higher educational level, are more married, and are more economically active. In the PD–BI and BI patients the disorders started earlier. They also turn out to have an equivalent pattern in the presence of drug abuse episodes, moderate or severe depressive episodes, psychotic episodes, suicide attempts, maniac episodes, mixed episodes, use of fewer days of antidepressants and benzodiazepines, and use of more days of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. The PD–BI and the BI groups had a higher frequency of depressive episodes and psychotic episodes. Limitations: It is a retrospective data description based on a naturalistic treatment. The sample has a small size and the some data could be different in a large sample. Conclusion: PD–BI patients have demographic, clinical and therapeutic features similar to BI and the data support its validation as a special severe bipolar I disorder subgroup. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Background Schizobipolar disorder is considered related to both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We aimed to describe with retrospective methodology the demographic, clinical, and treatment features in a group of schizobipolar disorder patients who have been treated for at least a 5-year period and compare them with bipolar I and schizophrenic patients who were treated during the same period. Method We compared the demographic and clinical data of 61 schizobipolar, 57 bipolar I, and 55 schizophrenic outpatients who were diagnosed and treated for at least 5 years in the outpatient clinic in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Results The schizobipolar disorder patients had a profile similar to the bipolar I patients but are significantly different from schizophrenic patients in educational level, marital status, occupation, drug and alcohol abuse episodes, presence of depressive, mixed and maniac episodes, family history of bipolar I and mood disorders, and use of medications. Only the age of onset, suicide attempts, and family history of suicide are not significantly different among the groups. The schizophrenic patients used antipsychotics for more days and the schizobipolar and bipolar I used more antidepressants and mood stabilizers. 37 (60.6%) schizobipolar patients had their diagnosis changed to bipolar disorder by their physician in different periods during the period studied. Limitations It is a retrospective data description based on a naturalistic treatment. The family history was collected from the patient and whenever possible from one first-degree relative. Conclusion Schizobipolar disorder patients have demographic, clinical and therapeutic features similar to bipolar I patients and data support its definite inclusion in the bipolar spectrum group.

Background It has been proposed that all forms of bipolar disorder–perhaps all primary affective disorders–are best conceptualized as a spectrum of related illness, clinically overlapping but not necessarily genetically uniform illnesses. We aim to describe with retrospective methodology the demographic, clinical, and therapeutic response in a group of social anxiety disorder (SA) patients who improves while taking antidepressants and compare them with bipolar II (B-II) patients. Methods 57 SA outpatients (DSM-IV) were diagnosed and naturalistic efficacious treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Their demographic, clinical features and therapeutic response were compared with 41 DSM-IV bipolar II patients in their starting evaluations in our outpatient clinic in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Results There is a sub-group of SA patients who improves while taking antidepressants and presents a clear hypomanic phase. Their improvement is identical to a mild/moderate hypomaniac state. Without the antidepressant, the symptoms of SA return. The SA and B-II patients have a similar number of previous depressive episodes, alcohol abuse, suicide attempts, and family history for mood disorder. Limitations It is a retrospective data description based on a naturalist follow-up. Conclusion Some SA patients have demographic, clinical and therapeutic features similar to B-II patients and they might just be a Bipolar-III sub-group with a higher level of complains to social situations and without spontaneous hypomania during lifetime.