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Manic-depressive illness — II: treatment outcome in bipolar disorder subtypes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Patrick McKeon ,
Patrick Manley  and
Gregory Swanwick
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Abstract

The treatment outcome of 100 bipolar disorder patients (B.P.) was examined retrospectively to determine whether bipolar subtypes had a differential prophylactic response to lithium, carbamazepine, neuroleptics and antidepressant drugs when these treatments were given in a predetermined sequence. Sixty-eight per cent of 53 B.P.-I patients with a mania-depression-normothymic-interval (M.D.I.) sequence of mood changes had a good response to lithium, and all but one of the remainder responded with the addition of carbamazepine or an antidepressant. While only 17% of 12 unipolar manic patients achieved prophylaxis with lithium and a further 17% when carbamazepine was added, the other 66% remained normothymic when a neuroleptic was prescribed with lithium. Of the seven rapid cycling patients where depression preceded mania, 28% had a good prophylactic effect with lithium, a further 28% when a tricyclic antidepressant was added and 14% with lithium and carbamazepine. None of the 18 rapid cycling M.D.I. group had a good response to lithium, but 39% stabilised when carbamazepine was added to lithium. Twenty-eight per cent of this group failed completely to respond to any of the treatments used. Neuroleptics increased the severity and duration of depressive phases for all subtypes except the unipolar mania group.

Keywords

Bipolar affective disorderstreatment outcomelithiumcarbamazepinerapid cycling affective disorder
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , May 1992 , pp. 9 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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