Table 1

Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with bipolar disorder (n = 7,769)

Variable

Mean

SD

Patient characteristics

Age, years

39.71

12.74

General health, preindex period:

Charlson Comorbidity Index score

0.38

0.99

Diagnoses, n

8.20

6.19

Prescriptions, n

6.40

5.38

n

%

Sex:

Female

4,985

64.17

Male

2,784

35.83

Region:

Midwest

2,161

27.82

Northeast

2,299

29.59

South

2,262

29.12

West

1,047

13.48

Insurance type:

Commercial

7,334

94.40

Other

435

5.60

Bipolar disorder type:

Depressed

1,362

17.53

Manic

923

11.88

Mixed

1,424

18.33

Other

4,060

52.26

General health, preindex period:

Hospitalized

2,165

27.87

Comorbidities, preindex period:

Panic disorder

356

4.58

Obsessive compulsive disorder

218

2.81

Generalized anxiety disorder

584

7.52

Substance abuse

1,625

20.92

Obesity

268

3.45

Depression

2,775

35.72

Cardiovascular disease

198

2.55

Diabetes

452

5.82

Hypertension

1,101

14.17

High cholesterol

425

5.47

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity

390

5.02

Compliance:

MPR ≥ 0.25

4,540

58.44

MPR ≥ 0.50

2,776

35.73

MPR ≥ 0.75

1,509

19.42

MPR ≥ 0.80

1,229

15.82

MPR ≥ 0.90

651

8.38

MPR ≥ 0.95

333

4.29

MPR, medication possession ratio.

Lage and Hassan Annals of General Psychiatry 2009 8:7   doi:10.1186/1744-859X-8-7