Objectives:
To assess the level of caregiving burden and psychological distress among spouses of bipolar disorder – BD (type I and II) patients.

Methods:
77 subjects (41 women and 36 men) were enrolled in the study – 44 spouses of bipolar I (BD I) patients and 33 spouses of bipolar II (BD II). The whole group was divided into 4 subgroups: (I) the wives of BD I patients: n=27, (II) the husbands of BD I patients: n=17, (III) the wives of BD II patients: n=14, (IV) the husbands of BD II patients: n=19. The research methods: Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire – IEQ and General Health Questionnaire – GHQ-12.

Results:
Manic phase of BD I is more burdensome than episodes of depressed mood (BD I) and hypomania (BD II). Depression in BD II results in a significantly greater burden than hypomania. Spouses of BD I patients experience a higher level of burden. Women are generally more burdened with the patient care regardless of the episode. Partners of bipolar patients (type I and II) experience the same high level of psychological distress.

Conclusions:
The specific types of bipolar disorder (I and II) have the different impact on partners, which affects their subjective and objective burden and relationship with patients, indicating a real need to offer them an adequate help, depending on subtype of patient’s bipolar disorder, as well as the spouse sex.