Psycho-social outcomes for persons with bipolar-I disorder: Eight-year follow-up of a rural cohort from south India

Abstract Background Assess psycho-social outcomes in a rural cohort of patients with bipolar-I disorder (BD). Methods Detailed evaluations were performed using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE) assessments of community-based BD patients in southern India. Several subjective and objective outcome measures were examined. Results Only half the cohort could be described as having a good overall outcome, with persistent difficulties in inter-personal relationships in a substantial proportion of patients. Separation or divorce, or co-morbid alcohol dependence impacted a higher proportion of female patients compared to males. Conclusions In spite of the small cohort size, this longitudinal study indicates mixed outcomes for BD patients in this setting, with several patients showing enduring psycho-social and global impairments. Even though symptomatic recovery for BD patients might be better in developing countries compared to those observed in developed nations, the notion of better psycho-social outcomes for BD in developing countries needs closer re-examination in larger cohorts.