Social adjustment of remitted bipolar and unipolar out-patients. A comparison with age- and sex-matched controls.

Various areas of social adjustment were compared using the Social Adjustment Scale in 27 remitted bipolars, 24 remitted unipolars and 25 normal controls matched for age and sex. Scores for global adjustment and for social and leisure activities were significantly worse in patients than in controls. The maladjustment in social and leisure activities appeared only in 'contact with friends' for bipolar patients and 'diminished social interactions' for unipolar patients. Unipolar patients differed significantly from controls on the items investigating sexual adjustment. In unipolars, social maladjustment seemed to be independent of the course of the disease; in bipolars, it was partly related to the mean number of lifetime episodes and current residual symptoms.