Comparison between clinical features and residual depressive symptoms of patients with bipolar depressive and unipolar depressive disorder in remission

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between the sociodemographic and clinical features and residual depressive symptoms in the unipolar depressive and bipolar depressive disorder groups.

Method: The study consisted of patients, who applied to psychiatry and were diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder and Recurrent Major Depression according to SCID-I. Ninety-six patients with bipolar and 58 patients with Recurrent Major Depression, who were stable according to CGI, received a score of 7 and below from the Hamilton rating scale for depression and a score of 5 or below from the young mania rating scale, were included in the study.

Results: The comorbidity rate of psychotic features was statistically significantly high in the BAD group (<0.001). The episodes of patients in the BAD group were statistically significantly higher, in terms of seasonal cycle compared to the MD group (<0.001). Considering the Hamilton depression subscales individually; the scores of psychic anxiety, general somatic symptoms and suicide (consideration of life not worth living) were higher in the MD group, compared to the BAD group. In the BAD group, on the other hand, scores of the genital symptoms and retardation were statistically significantly higher, compared to the MD group.

Conclusion: As a consequence, this study revealed different residual symptoms in the bipolar affective disorder and major depression groups in remission, which shows a parallelism with the previous data. While psychic anxiety, general somatic symptoms and suicidal ideation were generally observed in unipolar depression, sexual side effects and retardation were in the forefront in the BAD group.