Should bipolar disorder treatment be modified depending on staging?

Bipolar disorder treatment according to illness trajectory: a systematic review of clinical trials

The current bipolar disorder treatment guidelines focus mainly on the prevention of recurrence and stabilization of acute mood episodes while neglecting outcomes related to the longitudinal course of illness. We systematically reviewed studies that assess the impact of disease progression in the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for clinical trials that moderated treatment effects by number of previous episodes, disease length, or a clinical staging model. We retrieved 6,156 potential abstracts. After deduplication, 5,376 were screened and eight studies met inclusion criteria. Seven trials moderated results by number of prior episodes, and one of those also used a measure of disease length. One trial used a clinical staging model and yielded informing results. Only three studies evaluated pharmacological interventions, the other five assessing psychotherapeutic modalities. Most of the studies were post-hoc analysis of clinical trials not primarily aimed at studying variables associated with illness trajectory. Overall, a loss of efficacy was found according to clinical progression, which supports early intervention. Tailored recommendations according to disease stages cannot be made. Furthermore, we identified methodological weaknesses and strengths in this subfield of research, suggesting the use of clinical staging models for future studies.

Consensus on nomenclature for clinical staging models in bipolar disorder: A narrative review from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Staging Task Force

OBJECTIVES

Clinical staging is widely used in medicine to map disease progression, inform prognosis, and guide treatment decisions; in psychiatry, however, staging remains a hypothetical construct. To facilitate future research in bipolar disorders (BD), a well-defined nomenclature is needed, especially since diagnosis is often imprecise with blurred boundaries, and a full understanding of pathophysiology is lacking.

METHODS

Under the auspices of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders, a Task Force of international experts was convened to review, discuss, and integrate findings from the scientific literature relevant to the development of a consensus staging model and standardize a terminology that could be used to advance future research including staging of BD and related disorders.

RESULTS

Consensus opinion and areas of uncertainty or difference were identified in regard to terms referring to staging as it may apply to BD, to at-risk status and subthreshold stages, and to various clinical stages of BD as it is currently diagnosed.

CONCLUSION

The use of a standardized nomenclature about the clinical stages of BD will facilitate communication about research on clinical and pathological components of this heterogeneous group of disorders. The concepts presented are based on current evidence, but the template provided allows for further refinements as etiological advances come to light.

The CINP Guidelines on the Definition and Evidence-Based Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Disorder

BACKGROUND

Resistant bipolar disorder is a major mental health problem related to significant disability and overall cost. The aim of the current study was to perform a systematic review of the literature concerning (1) the definition of treatment resistance in bipolar disorder, (2) its clinical and (3) neurobiological correlates, and (4) the evidence-based treatment options for treatment-resistant bipolar disorder and for eventually developing guidelines for the treatment of this condition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The PRISMA method was used to identify all published papers relevant to the definition of treatment resistance in bipolar disorder and the associated evidence-based treatment options. The MEDLINE was searched to April 22, 2018.

RESULTS

Criteria were developed for the identification of resistance in bipolar disorder concerning all phases. The search of the literature identified all published studies concerning treatment options. The data were classified according to strength, and separate guidelines regarding resistant acute mania, acute bipolar depression, and the maintenance phase were developed.

DISCUSSION

The definition of resistance in bipolar disorder is by itself difficult due to the complexity of the clinical picture, course, and treatment options. The current guidelines are the first, to our knowledge, developed specifically for the treatment of resistant bipolar disorder patients, and they also include an operationalized definition of treatment resistance. They were based on a thorough and deep search of the literature and utilize as much as possible an evidence-based approach.

Development of a Novel Staging Model for Affective Disorders Using Partial Least Squares Bootstrapping: Effects of Lipid-Associated Antioxidant Defenses and Neuro-Oxidative Stress

Although, staging models gained momentum to stage define affective disorders, no attempts were made to construct mathematical staging models using clinical and biomarker data in patients with major depression and bipolar disorder. The aims of this study were to use clinical and biomarker data to construct statistically derived staging models, which are associated with early lifetime traumata (ELTs), affective phenomenology, and biomarkers. In the current study, 172 subjects participated, 105 with affective disorders (both bipolar and unipolar) and 67 controls. Staging scores were computed by extracting latent vectors (LVs) from clinical data including ELTs, recurring flare ups and suicidal behaviors, outcome data such as disabilities and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and paraoxonase (PON)1 actvities and nitro-oxidative stress biomarkers. Recurrence of episodes and suicidal behaviors could reliably be combined into a LV with adequate composite reliability (the "recurrence LV"), which was associated with female sex, the combined effects of multiple ELTs, disabilities, HR-QoL, and impairments in cognitive tests. All those factors could be combined into a reliable "ELT-staging LV" which was significantly associated with nitro-oxidative stress biomarkers. A reliable LV could be extracted from serum PON1 activities, recurrent flare ups, disabilities, and HR-QoL. Our ELT-staging index scores the severity of a relevant affective dimension, shared by both major depression and bipolar disorder, namely the trajectory from ELTs, a relapsing course, and suicidal behaviors to progressive disabilities. Patients were classified into three stages, namely an early stage, a relapse-regression stage, and a suicidal-regression stage. Lowered lipid-associated antioxidant defenses may be a drug target to prevent the transition from the early to the later regression stages.

Classification of patients with bipolar disorder using k-means clustering

Introduction

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a heterogeneous disorder needing personalized and shared decisions. We aimed to empirically develop a cluster-based classification that allocates patients according to their severity for helping clinicians in these processes.

Methods

Naturalistic, cross-sectional, multicenter study. We included 224 subjects with BD (DSM-IV-TR) under outpatient treatment from 4 sites in Spain. We obtained information on socio-demography, clinical course, psychopathology, cognition, functioning, vital signs, anthropometry and lab analysis. Statistical analysis: k-means clustering, comparisons of between-group variables, and expert criteria.

Results and discussion

We obtained 12 profilers from 5 life domains that classified patients in five clusters. The profilers were: Number of hospitalizations and of suicide attempts, comorbid personality disorder, body mass index, metabolic syndrome, the number of comorbid physical illnesses, cognitive functioning, being permanently disabled due to BD, global and leisure time functioning, and patients’ perception of their functioning and mental health. We obtained preliminary evidence on the construct validity of the classification: (1) all the profilers behaved correctly, significantly increasing in severity as the severity of the clusters increased, and (2) more severe clusters needed more complex pharmacological treatment.

Conclusions

We propose a new, easy-to-use, cluster-based severity classification for BD that may help clinicians in the processes of personalized medicine and shared decision-making.

In the Realm of Psychoneuroimmunology: The Role of Celecoxib as an Add-On Treatment for Bipolar Mania

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a chronic debilitating psychiatric illness seriously affecting the quality of patients' life. The available treatment is effective in about half of those suffering from the illness. The neurobiological basis of the disorder is not fully unraveled. With such lacunae, attempts have been made to decipher the underlying neuroimmunological process of the illness as is the case with other mental disorders. As a result, some inflammatory processes have been implicated in the etiology of BPAD, as described in this communication. Subsequently, the role of anti-inflammatory agents such as celecoxib was investigated by treating different phases of BPAD. Given the promising outcomes of several trials and reviews, celecoxib has gained momentum and has been recommended as an adjunctive treatment by some guidelines for treating resistant BPAD cases. This brief communication highlights some of the caveats in the randomized trials using celecoxib as an add-on treatment in bipolar mania specifically, which need to be addressed in future work.

The Staging of Major Mood Disorders: Clinical and Neurobiological Correlates

OBJECTIVE

Staging of psychiatric disorders is gaining momentum and the purpose of this review is to examine whether major mood disorders can be defined according to stages.

METHODS

In April 2018 the PubMed electronic data base was scrutinized by a combination of various search terms like "major depressive disorder and staging," "bipolar disorder and neuroprogression," etc. To incorporate the latest findings the search was limited to the last 10 years. Both original and review articles were examined by reading the abstracts, and papers which were found to be particularly applicable were read in full and their reference lists were also consulted.

RESULTS

A significant increase occurred in the number of papers published on the topic of staging of mood disorders. Staging formats were found for both major mood disorders, with the caveat that many more articles were discovered for bipolar disorder. Current evidence points to allostatic load and neuroprogression as the basis for staging of mood disorders.

CONCLUSION

Principal affective illnesses may be characterized by distinct stages, for instance early, intermediate and late. These phases inform the management so that clinicians should incorporate the staging schema into everyday practice and implement treatment strategies according to the phase of the illness.

Is "early intervention" in bipolar disorder what it claims to be?

BACKGROUND

The notion of early intervention is understandably appealing for conditions such as bipolar disorder (BD), a chronic life-long illness that increases risk of suicide and diminishes quality of life. It is purported that intervening early in the course of the illness with suitable interventions could substantially alter the trajectory of BD and improve outcomes. However, while there are obvious benefits to the prompt commencement of treatment, it is important to consider the gaps in our understanding regarding the aetiopathogenesis of bipolar disorder-upon which the paradigm of early intervention is predicated.

METHODS

A literature search was undertaken using recognized search engines: PubMed, PsycINFO Medline, and Scopus, along with auxiliary manual searches.

RESULTS

This review first examines how the unpredictable nature of BD creates substantial difficulties when determining an optimal therapeutic target for early intervention. Second, the challenges with identifying appropriate populations and apposite times for early intervention strategies is discussed. Finally, the risks associated with intervening early are examined, highlighting the potential harmful effects of initiating medication.

CONCLUSION

Early intervention for BD is a potentially useful strategy that warrants investigation, but until the emergence and trajectory of the illness are definitive, and a clear view of key targets is achieved, a more conservative approach to treating nascent BD and its antecedent symptoms is needed.