Demographic and clinical differences between early- and late-onset bipolar disorders in a multicenter study in China

Abstract

Little is known about the demographic and clinical differences between early-onset (EOB) and late-onset bipolar disorders (LOB) in Chinese patients. This multi-center study examined the demographic and clinical characteristics of EOB (≤21 years) and LOB (>21 years) in China. A consecutively recruited sample of 555 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) from 7 psychiatric hospitals and general hospital psychiatric units across China was examined. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. There were 181 (34.8%) patients with EOB and 339 (65.2%) with LOB. Univariate analyses revealed that compared to the LOB group..