In order to assess the effect of social support on
older bipolar patients (age 50 and older), we
conducted a cross-sectional survey. Participants
included inpatients recruited from the psychiatric
units at Duke University Medical Center and John
Umstead Hospital, as well as community dwelling
subjects with a history of bipolar disorder. The
study was approved by the Institutional Review
Boards of both institutions. All subjects completed
a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID)
and met diagnostic criteria for Bipolar Disorder as
defined by the DSM IV diagnostic criteria. Patients
were excluded if they had evidence of dementia [as
suggested by seven or more errors on the Mini-
Mental Status Examination (MMSE)], other pri-
mary psychiatric diagnosis, neurological or medical
illnesses that contributed to the diagnosis, or a
history of substance abuse. Twelve patients were in
a manic phase, 24 were in a depressed phase, and 49
were euthymic at the time of the evaluation.