Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is common in clinical psychiatric practice, and several studies have estimated its prevalence to range from 0.5 to 5% in community-based samples. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of BD type 1 and type 2 has been published in the literature. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the lifetime and 1-year prevalence of BD type 1 and type 2 and assessed whether the prevalence of BD changed according to the diagnostic criteria adopted (DSM-III, DSM-III-R vs. DSM-IV). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and the reference lists of identified studies. The analyses included 25 population-or community-based studies and 276,221 participants. Results: The pooled lifetime prevalence of BD type 1 was 1.06% (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 0.81-1.31) and that of BD type 2 was 1.57% (95%CI 1.15-1.99). The pooled 1-year prevalence was 0.71% (95%CI 0.56-0.86) for BD type 1 and 0.50% (95%CI 0.35-0.64) for BD type 2. Subgroup analysis showed a significantly higher lifetime prevalence of BD type 1 according to the DSM-IV criteria compared to the DSM-III and DSM-IIIR criteria (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This meta-analysis confirms that estimates of BD type 1 and type 2 prevalence are low in the general population. The increase in prevalence from DSM-III and DSM-III-R to DSM-IV may reflect different factors, such as minor changes in diagnostic operationalization, use of different assessment instruments, or even a genuine increase in the prevalence of BD.

Para compreender os modos de pensar e agir de pacientes idosos diante dos transtornos mentais, foram entrevistados 13 idosos (> 60 anos), atendidos em hospital público de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil. A análise dos dados foi baseada no modelo de Signos, Significados e Ações. A maioria dos idosos negou a presença de qualquer transtorno mental, mas identificou signos de sofrimento mental, articulados em três categorias: nervoso, problema de cabeça e doidura. Todos referiram a sintoma que justificaria tratamento e destacaram como causas de transtornos mentais, problemas familiares e vivenciais, físicos, de alimentação e sono, fraqueza moral e debilidade atribuída ao envelhecimento. Apesar de a procura do atendimento ser atribuída à iniciativa de outrem, o tratamento é bem aceito e avaliado, mesmo com certas ressalvas articuladas aos seus próprios conceitos sobre causas e conseqüências de tais perturbações. Os medicamentos foram apontados como principal medida de tratamento, apesar dos efeitos adversos, da baixa eficácia e do modo como são preconizados pelos profissionais de saúde.

This research sought to understand meanings and implications of the stigma related to bipolar disorder in relation to social processes and local cultural value systems. Seven semidirected individual interviews were performed with psychiatrists (from Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) and analyzed with referential from the Medical Anthropology. Some potential stigmatizing views about bipolar disorder patients were endorsed by respondents related to biomedical model of bipolar disorder. They claimed about the extreme trivialization of this diagnosis nowadays and observed that, in spite of the mitigation of stigma related to bipolar disorder over time, it remains an important issue, especially at labor fields and as a cause of refusal of treatment.