Disability and Quality of Life in euthymic patients with bipolar affective or recurrent depressive disorder

Background: There are major health care implications of Quality of Life and Disability in long-standing disorders such as bipolar affective disorder and recurrent depressive disorder. Objectives: To compare the inter episode Quality of life (QOL) and Disability in patients with the diagnosis of Bipolar affective disorder or Recurrent depressive disorder in remission. Methods: The two groups were assessed cross-sectionally. Euthymic bipolar or recurrent depressive disorder subjects were included in the study. QOL assessment was done usW'tbe World Healh Organisation (WHO) QOL - Bref Kannada version. Disability was assessed using the Schedule for assessment of psychiatric disability (SAPD), which is an Indian modfirahon of the WHO Disability assessment schedule-II. Results: There were 80 patients enrolled into the study. The mean QOL scores did not differ significantly in the two groups except for the RDD subjects experiencing higher environmental domain QOL (p=05). The mean disability scores in the BAD group was significantly more in 'social role' (p=.000) and 'overall bebavior' (p=.001) and in the RDD group it was more in 'home atmosphere (p =.000) and 'assets and/or liabilities (p=.001). There were more frequent intercorrelations between the illness variables and to a lesser extent between the illness variabks and the QOL/DAS variables in the bipolar group. In contrast, the RDD group showed more correlations between QOL, and DAS variables and very few intercorrelations between the illness variables. Conclusions: Quality of life did not differ signficantly between the two groups in periods of euthymia. However disability measures differed signficantyl in the two groups.