The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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To investigate national trends and patterns in opioid prescription within office-based medical practice. ⋯ A substantial increase occurred between 1995 and 2010 in opioid prescriptions in office-based medical visits, especially in visits by middle-aged and older adults and by patients making their first visit to the treating physician. These trends suggest that physicians have pursued greater pain control despite potential risks of nonmedical use of prescription opioids.
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Because of the potential treatment implications, it is clinically important to distinguish between bipolar II depression and major depressive disorder with comorbid borderline personality disorder. The high frequency of diagnostic co-occurrence and resemblance of phenomenological features has led some authors to suggest that borderline personality disorder is part of the bipolar spectrum. Few studies have directly compared patients with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. In the present study from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services project, we compared these 2 groups of patients on demographic, clinical, and family history variables. ⋯ Patients diagnosed with bipolar II depression and major depressive disorder with comorbid borderline personality disorder differed on a number of clinical and family history variables, thereby supporting the validity of this distinction.