Childhood trauma in bipolar disorder

Aim of study: The negative childhood experiences that may play a role in psychiatric illness are traumatic events including all kinds of abuse, parental loss, divorce or prolonged separation. It has been found that patients with bipolar disorder (BD) more often experience negative events in childhood than healthy people. These events may lead to a more severe course of illness. The aim of this study is to compare the frequency of negative childhood experiences between BD patients and control groups matched for gender and age.

Material and methods: Fifty-two BD patients were included, aged 47 ±12 years, hospitalized in the Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Kościan and the psychiatric ward in Milicz. The control group consisted of 52 healthy individuals, aged 47 ±12 years. Polish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and own Childhood Negative Experiences Questionnaire were used in the study

Results: Compared with the control group, BD patients showed higher level of indices measured by the CTQ (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect) and also experienced more frequently such negative childhood events as alcoholism, psychiatric illness and suicide in the family, parental abandonment, divorce, death and prolonged separation.

Conclusions: The results obtained point to significantly more frequent occurrence of negative childhood experiences in BD patients compared with control group what may play a role in the pathogenesis of the illness. A proper interview for the negative childhood experiences may be helpful for planning therapeutic procedures.