Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.08.2003, Qupperneq 58

■ ABSTRACTS / 27TH NORDIC PSYCHIATRIC CONGRESS
S-XXVIII/3 Friday 16/8,11:00-12:00
The bipolar II personality syndrome
Einar GuAmundsson, MD, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Private Practice, adr: Litli
turn, Kringlunni 4,103 Reykjavík, Iceland
eigu@simnet.is
Background: The author was struck by the similarities of com-
plaints, aside from mood swings, made by Bipolar II patients and
started registering these complaints. A crossover with other dis-
eases and personality disorders is common. This led to the question
whether it was an oversimplification to think one could suffer from
such a disabling disease as Bipolar disorder whithout it affecting the
personality slructure and the brain in a broader manner.
Aims: To understand how the Bipolar II disease affects the perso-
nality, and what personality traits are the most common. Is it a
spectrum disease where the worst cases become Bipolar I?
Mcthod: Registration of symptoms led to the development of The
Bipolar II Personality Syndrome Checklist which has now been
applied to over one hundred patients with the diagnoses of Bipolar
II. The list (which will be presented) is made of the patients’ subjec-
tive complaints.
Rcsults: Symptoms like anxiety, low self esteem, paranoia, extreme
hurtfulness, migraine, post partum depression, alcholism, and ob-
sessive traits in the family are amongst the findings which vvill be
presented in greater detail.
Condusions: Although more research is needed, these results sup-
port the author’s notion that mood disorders cause multiple symp-
toms, justifying to be described as a syndrome, and that these distur-
bances lie in families and are greatly underdiagnosed. If true, these
results may lead to rethinking psychyatric diagnoses, especially per-
sonality disorders.
discharge and 108487 patients with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis
were identified. No difference in the risk of getting readmitted with
a diagnosis of depression was found between the two groups of
patients. Tltere was no difference in the risk for Type 1 and Type 2
diabetes.
Condusions: A possible association between diabetes and depres-
sion does not seem to be mediated by biological factors but to be
due to psychosocial factors related to the burden of illness.
S-XXVIII/4 Saturday 16/8, 11:00-12:30
No increased risk of developing depression in diabetes
compared to other chronic illness
Lars Vedel Kessing, Professor, DMSc, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospi-
tal of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 K0benhavn 0. Flemming
M0rkeberg Nilsson, Volkert Siersma, Per Kragh Andersen.
lars. kessing@rh. dk
Background: Several studies have found that the prevalence of
depression in patients with diabetes is higher than in the general
population. It is unclear whether patients with diabetes have an
increased risk of developing depression compared to patients with
other chronic illnesses.
Aims: To investigate whether patients with diabetes have an in-
creased risk of developing depression compared to patients with
osteoarthritis.
Methods: In a nationwide case register study, all patients with a
discharge diagnosis of diabetes or of osteoarthritis at first admission
in a period from 1977 to 1997 were identified. The probability of
getting readmitted and discharged with a diagnosis of depression
was estimated with competing risks models in survival analysis.
Results: In total, 91507 patients with a diagnosis of diabetes at first
58 LÆKNABLAÐID / FYLGIRIT 48 2003/89