The present study has the aim to evaluate the link between PTSD and Bipolar Disorder/Schizoaffective Disorder. There are great apparent differences between Bipolar Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder, also many similitudes.

The sample consists of 22 patients, 14 females and 8 males, with average age 29,3 years. They were hospitalized for depressive or manic episode and diagnosed using DSM IV criteria with BPD (n1=12 patients) and Schizoaffective Disorder (n2=10). All the patients were screened for PTSD using module from the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID).

The study replicated the impact of PTSD on the onset of the two major disorders. In this sample, 8 from 10 patients with Schizoaffective Disorder (80%) have had PTSD (frequently after a suicide in patient`s family or rape), 3-4 years before onset. The most patients with Bipolar Disorder (n=7; 58,33%) had also a PTSD but the temporal link between this one and BD is longer (6,5 years average).

It may be concluded that PTSD is highly prevalent in patients with Schizoaffective Disorder, but there is also a great risk of having PTSD in patients with BD.