Dimensions of improvement in a clinical trial of N-acetyl cysteine for bipolar disorder

摘要

In addition to mood symptoms, functioning and quality of life (QoL) are dimensions of outcome now routinely assessed in bipolar disorder (1). In cross section, the general finding is that symptoms, QoL and functioning will correlate to some degree (2,3). A common view, thus, is that these domains are related and similar. Nonetheless, more complex associations may underlie these simple findings. Dimensions may correlate and still be discernible. This, in fact, is often the case with psychiatric instruments (4).