Health-related quality of life in adolescents with bipolar I disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To examine abnormalities in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to determine whether pharmacological intervention with divalproex or quetiapine alters HRQOL abnormalities in bipolar adolescents.

METHOD: Parents of 23 adolescents diagnosed with a manic or mixed episode associated with bipolar I disorder were asked to rate their child's health using the Child Health Questionnaire-Parental Form 50 (CHQ-PF 50) at baseline, prior to receiving medication and then at 28 days later.

RESULTS

Manic adolescents exhibited significantly worse HRQOL than national norms at baseline on all subscales of the CHQ-P50 except for those assessing physical well-being. Twenty eight days later, similar results were obtained for the divalproex group. Significant improvements in HRQOL, particularly on the psychosocial subscales, occurred for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

HRQOL for bipolar youth improves following pharmacological treatments. However, distinct effects of specific treatments may exist, and impairment in several domains persists.