The main findings of our study are as follows:
(1) compared with controls, older subjects with
bipolar disorder perceive their social support to
be inadequate though no difference was found in
the number of social interactions, the size of the
social network, or the amount of instrumental
support they reportedly receive, (2) compared
with younger controls, younger bipolar subjects
perceive their social support to be inadequate
and had a decrease in number of social interac-
tions, though no difference in the size of the
social network nor the instrumental support
they reportedly receive, (3) compared with
younger bipolar subjects, older bipolar subjects
have a similar perception of inadequate social
support, and (4) no differences were noted in
social support scales between older subjects based
on the age when the bipolar illness was first
detected.