Spanish validation of the Empirically Developed Clinical Staging Model (EmDe-5) for patients with bipolar disorder

Abstract Introduction Bipolar disorder (BD) has been reconceptualised as a progressive disorder that develops from mild to severe presentations. An empirical staging model – the Empirically Developed Clinical Staging Model for BD (EmDe-5) – was developed in a previous study. This study aims to further validate that model using a larger and more representative Spanish sample. Material and methods 183 BD outpatients were recruited at 11 sites in Spain. Assessment included clinical characteristics of the BD (number of hospitalisations, number of suicide attempts, comorbid personality disorders), physical health (BMI, metabolic syndrome, number of physical illnesses), cognition (SCIP), function…