These findings are supported by prospective studies which reassessed patients prospectively after initial admission for bipolar disorder (16). Over time, a similar profile of complications was reported for comorbid alcohol-dependent bipolar subjects as found in cross-sectional investigations including less treatment compliance (13, 14, 16) and worse socioeconomic, functional and symptomatic outcome (2, 16), while other studies did not report differences in number of days affected by mood symptoms, severity of mood episodes and social functioning across groups of abstinent, moderate and severe alcohol using BP I and II subjects (17).
