Obsessions and suicidality in youth suffering from bipolar I disorder

Abstract Background Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common comorbidity with bipolar disorder, a comorbidity that is known to increase suicide risk. This study aimed to assess the presence of OCD in youth diagnosed with bipolar I disorder and to evaluate the association between OCD and suicide in the same cohort. Eighty subjects diagnosed with bipolar I disorder were enrolled in this study; subjects were divided according to the presence or absence of OCD to group A: bipolar disorder patients with OCD ( n = 26) and group B: bipolar disorder patients without OCD ( n = 54). The following scales were applied: Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DYBOCS)–Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideations (BSSI)–Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Results DYBOCS score of group A was 30.23 ± 0.43, and that of group, B was 18.50 ± 1.88 with a significant difference ( p < 0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between BSSI and age, age of onset and YMRS in group A ( p < 0.01). Conclusions The study demonstrated that OCD is a common comorbidity in youth with bipolar I disorder and may be associated with a greater risk of suicide than in youth with bipolar I disorder without comorbid OCD. Furthermore, comorbidity of OCD with bipolar I disorder in youth may be associated with younger age of onset and more severe symptoms profile.