Prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder in Korean college students according to the K-MDQ

Abstract

Seung Oh Bae,1 Moon Doo Kim,2 Jung Goo Lee,3 Jeong-Suk Seo,4 Seung-Hee Won,5 Young Sup Woo,6 Jeong-Ho Seok,7 Won Kim,8 Se Joo Kim,7 Kyung Joon Min,9 Duk-In Jon,10 Young Chul Shin,11 Won Myong Bahk,6 Bo-Hyun Yoon121Hangang Mental Clinic, Kimpo, 2Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, 3Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital and Paik Institute for Clinical Research, Busan, 4Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Chungju, 5Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 6Department of Psychiatry, Yeouido St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 7Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, 8Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, 9Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 10Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Anyang, 11Department of Psychiatry, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, 12Naju National Hospital, Naju, KoreaBackground: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder (BSD) in the general Korean population.Methods: A sample of college students (n = 1026) was stratified to reflect geographical differences accurately in Korean college students. The Korean version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (K-MDQ) was administered and an epidemiological survey carried out between November 2006 and February 2007. BSD was defined as a score of at least seven K-MDQ symptoms that co-occurred and resulted in minimal or more functional impairment.Results: The prevalence of BSD was 18.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.2–21.0) in total, being 19.8% (95% CI 16.3–23.2) in men and 17.5% (95% CI 14.2–20.8) in women. The prevalence of BSD was more common in rural dwellers than in urban dwellers (P = 0.008, chi-square test). Univariate and multivariate regression models showed that rural residence was a significant factor associated with BSD. There were significant relationships between BSD and gender, age, and socioeconomic status.Conclusion: The prevalence of BSD found in the present study is higher than that reported by other epidemiological studies in Korea and in international studies.Keywords: general population, bipolar disorder, epidemiological study, Mood Disorder Questionnaire