Health-related quality of life in Thai Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

Background: Bipolar disorder (BPD) affects both patients' functioning and well-being. Quality of life (QoL) has gained increasing attention as an important functional outcome in BPD. The present study was conducted to assess QoL of Thai BPD patients. Material and Method: The authors obtained cross-sectional demographic, clinical, and functional ratings from 285 BPD outpatients. SF-36 and Thai Mania Rating Scale (TMRS) were used to assess QoL and severity of symptoms respectively. Results: The mean TMRS was 4.42 ± 5.87. Compared with the Thai general population, SF-36 scores of study population were significantly lower, except for bodily pain and social functioning domains. Sodium valproate treated group's SF-36 scores was better than lithium carbonate treated group's (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The present study is one of the pioneers in assessing the impact of co-morbidity on health-related QoL in Thai BPD patients. Even in the stable phase, patients were less functioning than the normal Thai population.