Bipolar Disorder in People living with Chronic pain: Prevalence, Risk & Key Differences

Key things to know What the evidence shows
How common is it? Reverse-direction evidence: 23.7% of people with BD have chronic pain; pain-population BD prevalence NE
Is it more common among people living with chronic pain? Clinically important bidirectional/co-occurring relationship
Are people living with chronic pain at higher risk? Strong association between BD and chronic pain
How much higher is the risk? People with BD have RR 2.14 for pain vs controls; 23.7% chronic pain prevalence within BD
How often can it be missed? High
Does it show up differently among people living with chronic pain? Somewhat
How might it look different? Pain, sleep disruption and analgesic use can affect mood course
What commonly occurs alongside it? Migraine; anxiety; substance use; sleep disorders
What can it be confused with? Medication-induced symptoms; MDD; sleep-related mood changes
Common screening tool MDQ
Separate screening tool for people living with chronic pain None
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