Correlates of Overweight and Obesity Among Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A).

Objective: Despite substantial evidence on the prevalence and correlates of overweight and obesity (OW/OB) in adults with bipolar disorder (BD), little is known about this topic in adolescents with BD.

Method: The method consisted of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement, a face-to-face survey of mental disorders from 2001 through 2004, using a modified version of the fully structured World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Participants were adolescents 13 to 17 years of age, with bipolar disorder I or II (n = 295), major depressive disorder (n = 1,112), or controls with neither mood disorder (n = 8,716). Analyses examined for group differences in the prevalence of OW/OB and for correlates of OW/OB in the group with BD.

Results: There were no significant differences in weight categories across groups. OW and OB in adolescents with BD were associated with significantly higher lifetime rates of suicide attempt (odds ratio 3.02, 95% CI 1.11-8.24), physical or sexual abuse (2.82, 1.20-6.60), binge eating or bulimia (2.66, 1.13-6.26), and conduct disorder (2.60, 1.10-6.13) in covariate-adjusted analyses. OW and OB also were significantly associated with seeing a professional for depression, being hospitalized overnight for depression, and receiving general medical treatment.

Conclusion: The similar prevalence of OW/OB in adolescents with and without BD suggests that this potent association in adults likely comprises a consequence of BD or its correlates. In contrast, the strong association of OW/OB with proxies for depression severity, including suicide attempts and hospitalization, is already evident even in this young, nonclinical sample. Studies are warranted to determine whether early intervention of OW/OB in BD might optimize physical and mental health.