Bipolar I disorder with mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms: a comparative longitudinal study.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate similarities and differences between bipolar I patients with and without mood-incongruent symptoms (MIS) over a long period of time, independently of longitudinal syndromatic constellations.

Methods: The Halle bipolarity longitudinal study (HABILOS) prospectively investigates 182 patients meeting the DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorders over a long period of time (x;- = 16.84 years).

The longitudinal polymorphism of bipolar I disorders and its theoretical implications.

Background: The longitudinal course of bipolar I disorders is often characterized by a polymorphism, which means that different kinds of episodes develop during the illness. This study investigated the characteristics, similarities and differences of the long-term course of bipolar I patients regarding the dominance of various kinds of episodes.

Methods: One hundred eighty-two (182) patients with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder were longitudinally investigated (approximately 17 years duration of the illness) with standardized instruments.