Psychiatr. pro Praxi, 2010; 11(1): 7-10

Bipolar II disorder - epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment

MUDr.Tomáš Novák

Psychiatrické centrum Praha, 3. LF UK v Praze

Bipolární porucha II (BP II) je duševní onemocnění charakterizované opakujícími se epizodami deprese a hypománie. Jako samostatná

Bipolar II disorder (BD II) is defined as mood disorder with recurrent episodes of depression and hypomania. BD II is officially recognized

as a mental disorder in DSM-IV bud not i ICD-10. Previous studies indicate that BD II is a relatively common disorder with a chronic

recurrent course and strong predominance of depressive episodes. BD II from unipolar disorder (recurrent depressive disorder) differs

by the presence of spontaneous episodes of hypomania, which are often unrecognized in clinical practice. Other distinguishing characteristics

of BD II compared with unipolar disorder are lower age of onset, more bipolar family history, higher number of depressive

episodes and more atypical or mixed depressions. The impact of illness on the global functioning is in many respects comparable with

bipolar I disorder. Treatment of BD II is still poorly evidence-based.

Keywords: bipolar II disorder, diagnosis, treatment

Published: January 1, 2010  Show citation