Comorbidity in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders and medical conditions. There is a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in BD, especially substance use disorders (SUD), anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). Moreover, comorbidity of general medical disorders, such as cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic illnesses, is the rule rather than the exception. To explain the high rate of comorbid conditions in BD, both genetic and complex environmental factors have been proposed. There are different patterns of presentation for lifetime comorbidities in BD, with some conditions occurring before the onset of BD and others developing in the late stages.

The presence of comorbid conditions significantly affects the course of BD, usually resulting in a poorer outcome, higher mortality and has implications for the choice of the appropriate therapeutic treatment.

The goal of this Research Topic is to improve our understanding of the links between BD and other psychiatric and medical conditions, clarifying:

• the etiopathology of comorbidities in BD;
• the temporal presentation patterns of the different comorbid conditions;
• the impact of concurrent psychiatric and medical illnesses on the treatment of BD;
• somatic comorbidities due to or worsened by iatrogenic effects of psychiatric treatments .

We encourage Original Research and submissions and articles with a conceptual or methodological focus, addressing the following subtopics:

• Prevalence and rates of comorbid psychiatric and/or medical conditions in patients affected by BD;

• The pathophysiological basis of the relationship between BD and other psychiatric and medical disorders;

• Changes in the clinical presentation and long-term outcome of BD due to comorbid conditions;

• Bipolar Disorder in the COVID-19 era;

• Specific treatment strategies for BD patients with and without comorbidities.