Timing, quantity and quality of stressful life events in childhood and preceding the first episode of bipolar disorder.

Background: A large body of evidence supports the importance of genetic risk factors in bipolar disorder (BPD), but less is known about the role of stressful life events (SLE). This study assessed the role of SLE in childhood, adulthood and one year prior to first episodes of both depression and mania in BPD.

Methods: Three groups of 50 matched subjects each were assessed: patients with BPD, with borderline personality disorder (BLPD) and healthy controls. Structured clinical interviews were used for diagnoses. The Coddington Life Events Schedule and the Israel Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview Life Event Scale measured life events and were confirmed with a semi-structured interview for subjective experience for each SLE.

Results: In BPD, the total number of SLE was lower during childhood and higher in the year preceding the first depression compared to controls and the proportion of loss-related events in childhood was higher. In the year preceding the first depressive episode, BPD subjects had more total, negative uncontrolled and independent but not positive SLE. In the year preceding the first episode of mania, the total number of uncontrolled, negative SLE were higher in BPD, whereas positive and separation-related SLE were not. After the first episode, BPD subjects had less SLE than controls.

Conclusions: Negative and loss-related SLE are common in BPD subjects, occur in the year preceding the first episodes of depression and mania and are less common in childhood or after the onset of the disorder.