The Prevalence and Disability of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in the US Population: Re-analysis of the ECA Database Taking into Account Subthreshold Cases

This secondary analysis of the US National Epidemiological Catchment Area database intends to provide evidence for the high prevalence of a spectrum of bipolarity in the US population at 6.4%, & indicate that subthreshold cases are at least five times more prevalent than DSM-based core syndromal diagnoses at about 1%. Subjects were classified according to lifetime service utilization for mental health problems, measures of adverse psychosocial outcome, & suicidal behaviour compared to subjects with no mental disorders or manic symptoms. Suicidal behavior was found to be non-significantly higher in individuals classified as bipolar II. (37 refs)