Transtorno afetivo bipolar: perfil clínico epidemiológico de pacientes atendidos em um hospital de referência no norte do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The study aimed to describe the Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Bipolar Affective Disorder Treated at a Hospital in the Northern Region of Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted at a tertiary hospital in the city of Passo Fundo – RS, based on the analysis of medical records of patients treated from December 2019 to December 2021, who received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (ICD-10 code F31 and its variants F31.0 to F31.9). Sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment data were collected. Categorical variables were described using absolute frequencies (n) and percentages (%). The EpiData and PSPP software were used for data transcription and analysis. Results: The study population consisted of 137 patients. The majority of patients were female (67.2%). The most prevalent age group was 45.45 (±12.39) years. Regarding ethnicity, the majority were White (92.7%). It was observed that 25.5% did not have a complete high school education. In terms of origin, 55.5% were from the Passo Fundo-RS region. Furthermore, 56.2% accessed the service through the Unified Health System (SUS). Of the hospitalized patients, 93.4% were admitted involuntarily or compulsorily. In addition, 52.6% had been previously hospitalized. The most prevalent clinical comorbidity among patients was systemic arterial hypertension (24.8%). Regarding psychiatric comorbidities, 20.4% had a substance use disorder. In relation to continuous psychiatric medication use, benzodiazepines were the most commonly used (32.1%). Furthermore, smoking was the most prevalent toxic habit (27.7%). Regarding behavioral patterns and symptoms leading to hospitalization, 38% of patients were involved in fights or exhibited violent behavior, 35% had suicidal ideation, and 34.3% experienced hallucinations. Conclusions: It is evident that women make up the majority of users of tertiary mental health services. In addition, individuals with Bipolar Affective Disorder who require psychiatric hospital intervention have other clinical and psychiatric comorbidities. The behavioral patterns led to involuntary or compulsory hospitalization and are those that pose physical risk to patients or others. This study allows for a better understanding of the population served by the service, thereby encouraging further studies, especially in terms of preventing new episodes that require hospitalization.