Temperamental dimensions of the TEMPS-A in females with co-morbid bipolar disorder and bulimia

ObjectivesWe investigated the effect of co-morbid bipolar disorder and bulimia on temperamental dimensions measured by TEMPS-A, relative to “pure” bulimia and “pure” bipolar disorder, in female patients.MethodsThe study was performed on 47 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) with a mean age of 36±10 years, 96 patients with bulimia or bulimic type of anorexia, mean age 26±9 years and 50 control healthy females (HC), mean age 29±6 years. Among bulimic patients, a group of 68 subjects with co-morbid bulimia with bipolarity (BD+B) was identified, based on positive score of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). The TEMPS-A questionnaire, 110 questions version, has been used, evaluating five temperament domains: depressive, cyclothymic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious. Parametric analysis was performed for 4 groups (BD, “pure” bulimia (PB), BD+B and HC), with 28 subjects randomly chosen from each group, using analysis of variance and cluster analysis.ResultsAll clinical groups significantly differed from control group by having higher scores of depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments and lower of hyperthymic one. Among patients, significantly higher scores of cyclothymic and irritable temperaments were found in BD+B compared to both PB and BD. These differences were also reflected in cluster analysis, where two clusters were identified.LimitationsBipolarity in bulimic patients assessed only by the MDQ.ConclusionsThese results show that co-morbid bulimia and bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme dimensions of both cyclothymic and irritable temperaments, significantly higher than each single diagnosis. Possible clinical implications of such fact are discussed.