A comparison of demographic profiles, clinical profile, course, and outcome of Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder: Findings from the Bipolar Disorder Course and Outcome study from India (BiD-CoIN study)

Background: There is lack of data on bipolar disorder (BD) type II from India. Aim: To compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with BD-I and BD-II using the data of the Bipolar Disorder Course and Outcome study from India (BiD-CoIN study). Methodology: Using the data of the BiD-CoIN study, patients with BD-I and BD-II were compared for demographic and clinical variables. Results: Out of the 773 patients, 59 (7.63%) participants had BD-II. Compared to BD-I, patients with BD-II had a higher income; were more often unemployed or housewives; had a higher mean number of episodes per year of illness, higher severity of depressive episodes, higher depressive affective morbidity, and a higher number of hypomanic episodes (in the lifetime, and number of episodes per year of illness); received lower doses of lithium and a lower number of medications; and had lower prevalence of alcohol dependence, higher prevalence of seasonality, a high proportion of them sought faith healing treatment, and a higher proportion of them have predominant depressive polarity. Conclusions: Patients with BD‑I and BD‑II differ from each other on certain demographic and clinical variables. The difference in the clinical variables suggests that the patients with BD‑II may require different treatment approaches for management.