Impact of antidepressant discontinuation after acute bipolar depression remission on rates of depressive relapse at 1-year follow-up

Understanding Relapse in Bipolar Disorder at a Tertiary Mental Health Facility in Uganda

Background

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, and depression, affecting approximately 1 in 150 adults globally. BD contributes significantly to disability and years of life lost, with a notable prevalence in Africa. The high relapse rates in BD, exacerbated by limited mental health resources and underdiagnosis, highlight the need for targeted interventions. This study explores the factors contributing to relapse among BD patients at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, Uganda, a crucial mental health facility in the region.

Methods

This cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. Adult patients aged 18-65, diagnosed with BD and experiencing relapse after treatment, were included. Data were collected through purposive sampling, focusing on obtaining detailed personal accounts from approximately 15 participants until data saturation was achieved. Thematic analysis identified key themes and subthemes related to relapse factors.

Results

Five major themes emerged: treatment adherence, psychosocial factors, cultural beliefs, economic challenges, and coping mechanisms. Non-adherence to medication, driven by side effects, forgetfulness, and financial constraints, was a significant relapse factor. Psychosocial stressors, such as life events and social isolation, alongside stigma and cultural beliefs in traditional healing, further complicated relapse patterns. Economic hardships affected medication access and treatment consistency. Supportive social networks and psychoeducation emerged as crucial for effective management and relapse prevention.

Conclusion

Addressing medication adherence, psychosocial stressors, cultural beliefs, and economic barriers through a holistic approach integrating medical treatment with psychoeducation and support systems is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing relapse rates in this setting. Therefore, the effective management of bipolar disorder at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital requires a complex interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors.

Which patients with bipolar depression receive antidepressant augmentation? Results from an observational multicenter study

BACKGROUND

To identify demographic and clinical characteristics of bipolar depressed patients who require antidepressant (AD) augmentation, and to evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness and safety of this therapeutic strategy.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-two bipolar depressed patients were consecutively recruited, 71.7% of them received mood stabilizers (MS)/second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) with AD-augmentation and 28.3% did not. Patients were evaluated at baseline, and after 12 weeks and 15 months of treatment.

RESULTS

The AD-augmentation was significantly higher in patients with bipolar II compared with bipolar I diagnosis. Patients with MS/SGA + AD had often a seasonal pattern, depressive polarity onset, depressive index episode with anxious features, a low number of previous psychotic and (hypo)manic episodes and of switch. They had a low irritable premorbid temperament, a low risk of suicide attempts, and a low number of manic symptoms at baseline. After 12 weeks of treatment, 82% of patients receiving ADs improved, 58% responded and 51% remitted, 3.8% had suicidal thoughts or projects, 6.1% had (hypo)manic switch, and 4.1% needed hospitalization. During the following 12 months, 92% of them remitted from index episode, 25.5% did not relapse, and 11% needed hospitalization. Although at the start advantaged, patients with AD-augmentation, compared with those without AD-augmentation, did not significantly differ on any outcome as well on adverse events in the short- and long-term treatment.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that ADs, combined with MS and/or SGA, are short and long term effective and safe in a specific subgroup for bipolar depressed patients.

A Different rTMS Protocol for a Different Type of Depression: 20.000 rTMS Pulses for the Treatment of Bipolar Depression Type II

In this open-label naturalistic study, we assess the feasibility, tolerability, and effectiveness of a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol with a reduced total pulse number for treating patients suffering from bipolar disorder type II. All patients received one rTMS treatment session of 1000 pulses for 20 consecutive working days, accumulating to 20.000 rTMS pulses applied over 4 weeks. We measured the patients’ symptoms before the start, halfway through, directly after, and one month after treatment. We quantified the depression symptoms using both the Beck depression inventory scale and the symptom checklist-90 depression subscale. Patients showed a significant reduction in depression symptoms directly after treatment and an even further reduction one month after treatment. The remission rates were at 26% halfway through treatment (after the 10th session), 61% directly after treatment (after the 20th session), and increased to 78% at the 1-month follow-up. Importantly, the protocol proved to be feasible and highly tolerable in this patient population, with no adverse effects being reported. Considering these positive results, further research should focus on replicating these findings in larger clinical samples with control groups and longer follow-up periods, while potentially adding maintenance sessions to optimize the treatment effect and stability for bipolar disorder type II patients.

[Bipolar-II Disorders]

Bipolar affective disorder (short: bipolar disorder) describe a group of affective disorders characterised by depressive as well as manic/hypomanic episodes. The article deals with the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of bipolar II disorder.

Relapse and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Bipolar Disorders in Central Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness and has huge morbidity and mortality. Relapse is a challenging treatment failure in patients with mental illness, especially in patients with bipolar which causes high economic and social burdens. In the mental health delivery system, relapse is common and can be defined as becoming ill again after apparent recovery and a worsening condition of psychiatric patients. Due to psychiatric patients that may stop medication on their own in contrary to the advice of mental health professionals, relapse of mood episodes, delayed remission, and residual symptoms usually leads to hospitalization, increased suicide risk, and/or impede psychosocial recover. Therefore, understanding the nature of relapse in patients in low-income countries helps to prevent recurrence and related health care expenses.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with relapse among patients with bipolar disorders in central Ethiopia.

Method

Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2015 at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. Relapse was calculated among 400 samples of people with bipolar disorder, and systematic random sampling was used to select the study participants. Oslo's social support scale and ASSIST were used to identify factors with relapse, and a binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis model was performed to control the confounding factors. Odds ratios (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were determined to evaluate the strength of association.

Results

The prevalence of relapse was 71% among patients with bipolar disorder. The longer morbidity (longer than 5 years) had a higher risk of relapse [adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 3.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.44 to 6.27], while good medication adherence found to be a protective factor for relapse [AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.72].

Conclusion

The prevalence of relapse was found pretty high among patients with bipolar disorders (71%). Working on treatment adherence and controlling the psychopathology is important to prevent relapse among bipolar patients.

Do antidepressants influence mood patterns? A naturalistic study in bipolar disorder

This prospective, longitudinal study compared the frequency and pattern of mood changes between outpatients receiving usual care for bipolar disorder who were either taking or not taking antidepressants. One hundred and eighty-two patients with bipolar disorder self-reported mood and psychiatric medications for 4 months using a computerized system (ChronoRecord) and returned 22,626 days of data. One hundred and four patients took antidepressants, 78 did not. Of the antidepressants taken, 95% were selective serotonin or norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or second-generation antidepressants. Of the patients taking an antidepressant, 91.3% were concurrently taking a mood stabilizer. The use of antidepressants did not influence the daily rate of switching from depression to mania or the rate of rapid cycling, independent of diagnosis of bipolar I or II. The primary difference in mood pattern was the time spent normal or depressed. Patients taking antidepressants frequently remained in a subsyndromal depression. In this naturalistic study using self-reported data, patients with bipolar disorder who were taking antidepressants—overwhelmingly not tricyclics and with a concurrent mood stabilizer—did not experience an increase in the rate of switches to mania or rapid cycling compared to those not taking antidepressants. Antidepressants had little impact on the mood patterns of bipolar patients taking mood stabilizers.

Psychopharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics for Bipolar Depression

Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness that affects 2%-4% of U.S. adults during their lifetime. The course of bipolar disorder is commonly characterized by prolonged periods of depression interspersed with manic-hypomanic episodes. Management of depression among patients with bipolar disorder is challenging because of the limited number of medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the high proportion of patients who do not respond to these medications, and the metabolic and other side effects associated with long-term use of these medications. In addition to reviewing the clinical options available to patients with bipolar depression and their treatment providers, this article presents an evidence-based management approach and discusses the off-label uses of currently available treatments and experimental therapeutics under development.

Antidepressants in Bipolar Depression: An Enduring Controversy

(Reprinted with permission from Int J Bipolar Discord (2018) 6:25).

Role of autobiographical memory in patient response to cognitive behavioural therapies for depression: protocol of an individual patient data meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs) are one of the most effective treatments for major depression. However, ~50% of individuals do not adequately respond to intervention and of those who do remit from a depressive episode, over 50% will experience later relapse. Identification of patient-level factors which moderate treatment response may ultimately help to identify cognitive barriers that could be targeted to improve treatment efficacy. This individual patient data meta-analysis explores one such potential moderator-the ability to retrieve specific, detailed memories of the autobiographical past-as cognitive-based therapeutic techniques draw heavily on the ability to use specific autobiographical information to challenge the dysfunctional beliefs which drive depression.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We have formed a collaborative network which will contribute known datasets. This will be supplemented by datasets identified through literature searches in Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and WHO trials database between December 2018 and February 2019. Inclusion criteria are delivery of a cognitive or cognitive behavioural therapy for major depression, and measurement of autobiographical memory retrieval at preintervention. Primary outcomes are depressive symptoms and clinician-rated diagnostic status at postintervention, along with autobiographical memory specificity at postintervention. Secondary outcomes will consider each of these variables at follow-up. All analyses will be completed using random-effects models employing restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Risk of bias in included studies will be measured using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Study results will contribute to better understanding of the role of autobiographical memory in patient response to CBTs, and may help to inform personalised medicine approaches to treatment of depression.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42018109673.

Use of "Lights" for Bipolar Depression

PURPOSE

In this review, we will review the background and diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD); describe the efficacy data and potential circadian and neural mechanisms underlying the effects of bright light for bipolar depression; and discuss the implementation of light therapy in clinical practice.

RECENT FINDINGS

To date, morning bright light is the most widely tested form of light therapy for all mood disorders. Clinical trial reports suggest that midday or morning bright light treatment and novel chronotherapeutic interventions are effective for bipolar depression. Mechanisms of response may relate to effects on the circadian system and other changes in neural functioning. Using bright light to manage depressive symptoms in BD is reasonable but also requires concurrent antimanic treatment and careful clinical monitoring for response, safety, and mood polarity switch.

Antidepressants have complex associations with longitudinal depressive burden in bipolar disorder

AIMS

Antidepressants are common in bipolar disorder (BD), but controversial due to questionable efficacy/tolerability. We assessed baseline antidepressant use/depression associations in BD.

METHODS

Stanford BD Clinic outpatients, enrolled during 2000-2011, assessed with the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for BD (STEP-BD) Affective Disorders Evaluation, were monitored up to two years with the STEP-BD Clinical Monitoring Form while receiving naturalistic expert treatment. Prevalence/correlates of baseline antidepressant use in recovered (euthymic ≥8 weeks)/depressed patients were assessed. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses assessed times to depressive recurrence/recovery in patients with/without baseline antidepressant use, and Cox Proportional Hazard regression analyses assessed covariate effects.

RESULTS

Baseline antidepressant use was significantly (albeit without Bonferroni multiple comparison correction) less among 105 recovered (31.4%) versus 153 depressed (44.4%) patients, and among recovered patients (again without Bonferroni correction), associated with Caucasian race, earlier onset, worse Clinical Global Impression scores, and hastened depressive recurrence (only if mood elevation episodes were not censored), driven by lifetime anxiety disorder, and more (even with Bonferroni correction) bipolar II disorder, lifetime anxiety and eating disorders, and core psychotropics. Baseline antidepressant use among depressed patients was associated with significantly (again without Bonferroni correction) older age, female gender, and more (even with Bonferroni correction) anxiolytics/hypnotics, complex pharmacotherapy, and core psychotropics, but no other unfavorable illness characteristic/current mood symptom, and not time to depressive recovery.

LIMITATIONS

Tertiary BD clinic referral sample receiving open naturalistic expert treatment. Analyses without/with Bonferroni correction.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional research is required to assess the complex associations between baseline antidepressant use and longitudinal depressive burden in BD.

Antidepressants in bipolar depression: an enduring controversy

The proper place and the optimal use of antidepressants in treating bipolar depression continues to be an area of great interest and greater controversy with passionate opinions more common than good studies. Even the handful of meta-analyses in the area disagree with each other. Overall, the evidence that antidepressants are effective in treating bipolar depression is weak. Additionally, many experts and clinicians worry greatly about the capacity of antidepressants to cause affective switching or mood destabilization. Yet, in short term controlled studies, with most patients also taking mood stabilizers, antidepressants are not associated with switches into mania/hypomania. Evidence of cycle acceleration with antidepressants primarily reflects treatment with older antidepressants, e.g., tricyclics. Similar evidence with modern antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is lacking. The key questions should not be: are antidepressants effective in bipolar depression?; And: do antidepressants worsen the course of bipolar disorder? Rather, the question should be focused on subgroups: for which patients are antidepressants helpful and safe, and for which patients will they be harmful? Predictors of affective switching with antidepressants include: bipolar I disorder (vs. bipolar II), mixed features during depression, tricyclics vs. modern antidepressants, rapid cycling and possibly a history of drug abuse, especially stimulant abuse. Additionally, a number of recent studies have demonstrated both the safety and efficacy of antidepressant monotherapy in treating bipolar II depression. Finally, a subgroup of bipolar individuals need antidepressants in addition to mood stabilizers as part of an optimal maintenance treatment regimen.

Antidepressant Prescription Patterns in Bipolar Disorder: a Nationwide, Register-based Study in Korea

BACKGROUND

The role of antidepressants (ADs) in bipolar disorder is long-standing controversial issue in psychiatry. Many clinicians have used ADs as a treatment for bipolar depression, and the selection of therapeutic agents is very diverse and inconsistent. This study aimed to examine recent AD prescription patterns for patients with bipolar disorder in Korea, using the nationwide, population-based data.

METHODS

This study utilized the Korean nationwide, whole population-based registry data of the year 2010, 2011, and 2013. All prescription data of the ADs, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers of the sampled patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n = 2,022 [in 2010]; 2,038 [in 2011]; 2,626 [in 2013]) were analyzed for each year.

RESULTS

Annual prescription rate of ADs was 27.3%-33.6% in bipolar disorder, which was gradually increasing over the 3-year period. The combination pattern of ADs and antipsychotic drugs tended to increase over 3 years. The proportion of females and the prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorder were significantly higher in AD user group in all three years. Among individual ADs, escitalopram was prescribed most frequently, and fluoxetine and bupropion were prescribed to the next many patients. The mean duration of bipolar depressive episodes was 135.90-152.53 days, of which ADs were prescribed for 115.60-121.98 days.

CONCLUSION

Our results show prescription rate of ADs in bipolar disorder was maintained at substantial level and increased in recent 3 years. More empirical data and evidence are needed to establish practical treatment consensuses.

Psychotropic medications prescribing trends in adolescents: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

Objective

To describe psychotropic medications prescription patterns among adolescents in Taiwan; focusing on age, gender, duration of treatments and various classes of psychotropic medications.

Design

A retrospective description analysis.

Setting

Taiwan National Health Insurance Database.

Participants

Twelve to seventeen years' patients treated with psychotropic medications.

Intervention

None.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Percentage and duration of treatment with psychotropic medications during the study periods by medication classes and age groups were calculated. In addition, top three prescribed psychotropic medications were also determined.

Results

A total of 3,120 patients were prescribed psychotropic drugs. The percentage of adolescent patients that received anxiolytics and antidepressants in 2002-2012 were 2.89% and 2.15%, respectively. Also, 851 patients (1.21%) were prescribed hypnotics and 638 (0.91%) were given sedatives. The prevalence rate of the prescription of psychotropic drugs increased steadily with age and females were more treated than males except antipsychotic. Among psychotropic drugs, antidepressants (mean: 8.6 times) were refilled more but antipsychotics (mean 188 days) were the long-term treatment drugs. Additionally, the trend of hospital visits fluctuated over the year while May and December showed a higher rate of visits.

Conclusions

These findings show that the prevalence of psychotropic drug prescriptions in Taiwanese adolescents is even low but increasing trends in the prescription of these medications raises some concern. As the evidence of psychotropic drug safety and effectiveness in adolescents is still inadequate; we recommend that healthcare providers should consider psychotropic drugs therapy, continuously monitor for outcomes and empower their patients to improve their knowledge, therapeutic outcomes and quality of life.

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder

The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) previously published treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder in 2005, along with international commentaries and subsequent updates in 2007, 2009, and 2013. The last two updates were published in collaboration with the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). These 2018 CANMAT and ISBD Bipolar Treatment Guidelines represent the significant advances in the field since the last full edition was published in 2005, including updates to diagnosis and management as well as new research into pharmacological and psychological treatments. These advances have been translated into clear and easy to use recommendations for first, second, and third- line treatments, with consideration given to levels of evidence for efficacy, clinical support based on experience, and consensus ratings of safety, tolerability, and treatment-emergent switch risk. New to these guidelines, hierarchical rankings were created for first and second- line treatments recommended for acute mania, acute depression, and maintenance treatment in bipolar I disorder. Created by considering the impact of each treatment across all phases of illness, this hierarchy will further assist clinicians in making evidence-based treatment decisions. Lithium, quetiapine, divalproex, asenapine, aripiprazole, paliperidone, risperidone, and cariprazine alone or in combination are recommended as first-line treatments for acute mania. First-line options for bipolar I depression include quetiapine, lurasidone plus lithium or divalproex, lithium, lamotrigine, lurasidone, or adjunctive lamotrigine. While medications that have been shown to be effective for the acute phase should generally be continued for the maintenance phase in bipolar I disorder, there are some exceptions (such as with antidepressants); and available data suggest that lithium, quetiapine, divalproex, lamotrigine, asenapine, and aripiprazole monotherapy or combination treatments should be considered first-line for those initiating or switching treatment during the maintenance phase. In addition to addressing issues in bipolar I disorder, these guidelines also provide an overview of, and recommendations for, clinical management of bipolar II disorder, as well as advice on specific populations, such as women at various stages of the reproductive cycle, children and adolescents, and older adults. There are also discussions on the impact of specific psychiatric and medical comorbidities such as substance use, anxiety, and metabolic disorders. Finally, an overview of issues related to safety and monitoring is provided. The CANMAT and ISBD groups hope that these guidelines become a valuable tool for practitioners across the globe.

Adjunctive antidepressants in bipolar depression: A cohort study of six- and twelve-months rehospitalization rates

Although antidepressants (ADs) are widely used in bipolar depression, there is weak evidence for their effectiveness and safety in this condition. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies on the risk-benefit ratio of AD maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder (BD). We compared rehospitalization rates of patients with BD-I depressive episode who were discharged with mood stabilizers (MSs) and/or atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) with or without adjunctive AD. Ninety-eight patients with BD-I who were hospitalized with a depressive episode between 2005 and 2013 were retrospectively followed for 6-months and 1-year rehospitalization rates, as well as time to rehospitalization, according to treatment at discharge: MSs and/or AAPs with or without AD. Multivariable survival models adjusted for covariates known to influence rehospitalization were conducted. Six-months and 1-year rehospitalization rates were significantly lower in the adjunctive-AD treatment group compared to the no-AD group (9.2% vs. 36.4%, P = .001, power = 0.87 and 12.3% vs. 42.4%, P = .001, power = 0.89, respectively). Time to rehospitalization within 6-months and 1-year was significantly longer in the adjunctive-AD treatment group (169.9 vs 141 days, P = .001 and 335.6 vs 252.3 days, P = .001, respectively). Adjunctive-AD treatment at discharge reduced significantly the adjusted risk of rehospitalization within 6-months (HR = 0.081, 95% CI: 0.016-0.412, P = 0.002) and 1-year (HR = 0.149, 95% CI: 0.041-0.536, P = 0.004). Moreover, adjunctive-AD treatment did not increase rehospitalization rates of manic episode. In conclusion, adjunctive-AD therapy to MS/AAP at discharge from BD-I depressive episode hospitalization is associated with a lower rate of and a longer time to rehospitalization during a 1-year follow up period.

Hypomania in clinical practice

Recent work suggests that a broad clinical spectrum of bipolar disorder is more common than previously thought and that the disorder may affect up to 5% of the population. The correct definition and diagnosis of hypomania is central to the identification of bipolar disorder. In this review we focus on recent diagnostic and clinical advances relating to bipolar disorder, with particular reference to hypomanic states. We also highlight some of the controversies in this field and discuss ways in which clinicians might improve their detection of bipolar disorders.

Advancing the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression

Bipolar disorder is a recurring, often chronic, illness characterised by periods of mania and depression with variable inter-episode recovery. For the majority of patients it is the depressive component of this illness that contributes to most of the associated morbidity, social disability and mortality. Research and clinical experience suggest that acute treatment and prevention of depressive episodes is by far the most challenging aspect of the care of patients with the disorder. This review examines the contribution of depression to the course and outcome of bipolar disorder as well as diagnostic difficulties that often complicate treatment and may lead to inappropriate medication. Key studies that form the evidence base of treatment recommendation for bipolar depression are presented and areas of therapeutic uncertainty are highlighted.

The Use of Antidepressants in Bipolar Depression

Depression remains a significant debilitating and frequent phase of illness for patients with bipolar disorder. There are few FDA-approved medications for its treatment, only one of which includes a traditional antidepressant (olanzapine-fluoxetine combination), despite studies that demonstrate traditional antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed class of medications for bipolar patients in a depressive episode. While traditional antidepressants remain the primary option for treatment of unipolar depression, their use in bipolar depression has been controversial due to a limited efficacy evidence and the concern for potential harm. This chapter reviews the current data concerning the use of traditional antidepressants in bipolar disorder, and the current expert treatment guideline recommendations for their use.

Efficacy and safety of long-term antidepressant treatment for bipolar disorders - A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

Efficacy and safety of long-term use of antidepressants (AD) in bipolar disorder (BD) patients remains highly controversial. Here we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring the efficacy and safety of long-term AD use in BD patients.

METHODS

English-written literature published in peer-reviewed journal was systematically searched from Pubmed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO and Clinicaltrials.gov. Each database was searched from its first available time to August 31, 2016. Additional papers were searched from recent guidelines, expert consensus and systematic reviews by hand. RCTs exploring the efficacy and safety of long-term (≥4m) antidepressant treatment for patients with bipolar disorder were eligible. Two authors (HF, JL) independently extracted the data. Risk ratio (RR), number needed to treat (NNT) and/or number needed to harm (NNH) for new depressive episodes and new manic/hypomanic episodes were calculated. Subgroup analyses were performed based on treatment regimen (AD monotherapy or combined with MS), types of antidepressants, funding source, bipolar subtypes and treatment duration.

RESULTS

Eleven trials with 692 bipolar disorder patients were included in the meta-analysis. The risk of bias assessment demonstrated moderate bias risk. Antidepressants were superior to placebo in reducing new depressive episodes in bipolar disorders without increasing risk of new manic/hypomanic episodes either used as monotherapy or in combination with MS. Subgroup analyses revealed that greater benefit and lower risk may be achieved in BD II than in BD I. However, compared with MS monotherapy, AD monotherapy significantly increased the risk of affective switch with no improvement in prophylaxis of new depressive episodes.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced new depressive episodes may be achieved by long-term AD treatment with no significantly increased risk of new manic/hypomanic episodes in BD, particularly in BD II. The elevated risk of affective switch of AD monotherapy compared with MS monotherapy may be contributed to the protective effect of MS in diminishing manic/hypomanic episodes. Further studies are needed to verify our findings.

The Diagnosis and Management of Bipolar I and II Disorders: Clinical Practice Update

Bipolar disorders, including bipolar I disorder (BP-I) and bipolar II disorder (BP-II), are common, potentially disabling, and, in some cases, life-threatening conditions. Bipolar disorders are characterized by alternating episodes of mania or hypomania and depression, or mixtures of manic and depressive features. Bipolar disorders present many diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for busy clinicians. Adequate management of bipolar disorders requires pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions targeted to the specific phases of illness. Effective treatments are available for each illness phase, but mood episode relapses and incomplete responses to treatment are common, especially for the depressive phase. Mood symptoms, psychosocial functioning, and suicide risk must, therefore, be continually reevaluated, and, when necessary, the plan of care must be adjusted during long-term treatment. Many patients will require additional treatment of comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders and management of a variety of commonly co-occurring chronic general medical conditions.

Lithium: A classic drug-Frequently discussed, but, sadly, seldom prescribed!

OBJECTIVE

Distinguished authors in the field have repeatedly alerted psychiatrists of the alarming trends in the treatment of bipolar disorders: decline of lithium use, paralleled by the increase of prescribing anticonvulsants and second-generation antipsychotic drugs. Research has been conducted in order to explore the factors that led to this development and to provide arguments for the need to reverse this trend.

METHOD

This paper represents a narrative review of the literature containing retrieved research articles focusing on the efficacy of lithium. The papers included in this overview were published prior to June 2016; additional papers were identified by searching the reference lists of reviewed articles. Taking into account the amount of literature available, no search can be exhaustive; on the other hand, the studies consulted, all of which explore the effectiveness of various compounds, may have their own limitations as well.

RESULTS

The evidence of the effectiveness of lithium in the treatment of acute mania, acute bipolar depression and the prevention of manic and depressive episodes is compelling. Lithium is the most effective augmentation agent in treatment-resistant depression. Its anti-suicidal effects are well established. The neuroprotective effects of lithium have been demonstrated in case-control studies and in population-based research. It has been established that starting lithium early in the course of the disorder reduces the rates of treatment non-response.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite abundant evidence regarding the efficacy of lithium and its effectiveness in the treatment of bipolar disorders, its use is declining at the beginning of the 21st century. It is of paramount importance to keep reminding psychiatrists and educating physicians about the unique properties of lithium and about monitoring patients treated with lithium, since it has been suggested that lithium should once again become the first-line treatment for bipolar disorders.

Bupropion Maintenance Treatment in Refractory Bipolar Depression: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

The optimal duration of antidepressant treatment in bipolar depression appears to be controversial due to a lack of quality evidence, and guideline recommendations are either vague or contradictive. This is especially true for second line treatments such as bupropion that had not been subject to rigourous long term studies in Bipolar Disorder.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the case of a 75 year old woman who presented with treatment refractory bipolar depression. Because of insufficient response to previous mood stabilizer treatment and refractory depressive symptoms, bupropion was added to venlafaxine and lamotrigine. From there onwards, the patient improved continuously without experiencing deterioration of depression or a switch into hypomania. Our patient being on antidepressants for allmost four years experienced an obvious benefit from longterm antidepressant administration.

CONCLUSION

Noradrenergic/dopaminergic mechanisms of action may play a more prominent role in bipolar depression, and may still be underused as a therapeutic strategy in the acute phase as well as in long-term maintenance in at least a subgroup of bipolar patients. There is still a lack of evidence from RCTs, but this case report further supports antidepressant long-term continuation and the usefulness of a noradrenergic/dopaminergic antidepressant in the acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder.

Adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines for bipolar depression in an inpatient setting

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with a discharge diagnosis of bipolar depression were prescribed medications that are in accordance with evidence-based treatment guidelines and are FDA-approved for bipolar depression.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted to assess prescribing of evidence-based therapies for patients discharged between November 2007 and August 2010 with a diagnosis code of BPD at the time of discharge. The primary objective of the study was to determine if evidence-based medications were prescribed at the time of discharge. Secondary objectives included analysis of other medications used, concomitant disease states and drug therapy, rate of readmission, and rate of therapeutic drug monitoring.

RESULTS

Of 294 patients, 170 (58%) were prescribed evidence-based medications upon discharge. The most commonly used medication was quetiapine. The most commonly prescribed off-label medications were atypical antipsychotics. For patients on antipsychotics, rates of appropriate monitoring were variable. Seventy percent of patients receiving lithium had a therapeutic concentration prior to discharge. Differences in rates of readmission between groups were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of prescribing evidence-based medications at discharge for patients with BPD were low. Additionally, evidence-based monitoring for specific medications was variable. Future studies reviewing treatment course and illness severity may provide more information about appropriate medication use in patients with BPD.

Evidence-based guidelines for treating bipolar disorder: Revised third edition recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology

The British Association for Psychopharmacology guidelines specify the scope and targets of treatment for bipolar disorder. The third version is based explicitly on the available evidence and presented, like previous Clinical Practice Guidelines, as recommendations to aid clinical decision making for practitioners: it may also serve as a source of information for patients and carers, and assist audit. The recommendations are presented together with a more detailed review of the corresponding evidence. A consensus meeting, involving experts in bipolar disorder and its treatment, reviewed key areas and considered the strength of evidence and clinical implications. The guidelines were drawn up after extensive feedback from these participants. The best evidence from randomized controlled trials and, where available, observational studies employing quasi-experimental designs was used to evaluate treatment options. The strength of recommendations has been described using the GRADE approach. The guidelines cover the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, clinical management, and strategies for the use of medicines in short-term treatment of episodes, relapse prevention and stopping treatment. The use of medication is integrated with a coherent approach to psychoeducation and behaviour change.

Clinical correlates of sustained response to individual drugs used in naturalistic treatment of patients with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

To report use and treatment success rates of medications for bipolar disorder as a function of patients' clinical characteristics.

METHOD

Outpatients with bipolar illness diagnosed by SCID were rated by research assistants on the NIMH-LCM and those who had an good response for at least 6months (much or very much improved on the CGI-BP) were considered responders (treatment "success"). Clinical characteristics associated with treatment response in the literature were examined for how often a drug was in a successful regimen when a given characteristic was either present or absent.

RESULTS

Lithium was less successful in those with histories of rapid cycling, substance abuse, or (surprisingly) a positive parental history of mood disorders. Valproate was less successful in those with ≥20 prior episodes. Lamotrigine (LTG) was less successful in those with a parental history of mood disorders or in BP-I compared to BP-II disorder. Antidepressants (ADs) had low success rates, especially in those with a history of anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines had low success rates in those with child abuse, substance use, or ≥20 episodes. Atypical antipsychotics were less successful in the presence of rapid cycling, ≥20 prior episodes, or a greater number of poor prognosis factors.

CONCLUSION

Success rates reflect medications used in combination with an average of two other drugs during naturalistic treatment and thus should be considered exploratory. However, the low long-term success rates of drugs (even when used in combination with others) that occurred in the presence of many very common clinical characteristics of bipolar illness speak to the need for the development of alternative treatment strategies.

Treatment of Bipolar Depression: Evolving Recommendations

Bipolar depression is the most common and difficult-to-treat phase of bipolar disorder. Antidepressants for unipolar depression are among the most widely used drugs, but recent data and meta-analyses indicate a lack of efficacy. Many of the drugs discussed here are graded provisionally for the strength of the findings in the literature, safety and tolerability, and likely utility of use in patients with bipolar disorder. Successful long-term treatment of bipolar depression is critical to preventing illness-related morbidity, disability, cognitive decline, suicide, and premature loss of years of life expectancy largely from the excess medical mortality associated with cardiovascular disorders.

Antidepressants in Type II Versus Type I Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Discontinuation Trial

BACKGROUND

We sought to test the hypothesis that antidepressants (ADs) may show preferential efficacy and safety among patients with type II bipolar disorder (BD, BD-II) more than patients with type I BD (BD-I).

METHODS

Patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, BD-I (n = 21) and BD-II (n = 49) in acute major depressive episodes were treated with ADs plus mood stabilizers to euthymia sustained for 2 months and then randomized openly to continue or discontinue ADs for up to 3 years. Outcomes were episode recurrences and changes in standardized symptom ratings.

RESULTS

In follow-up averaging 1.64 years, both subgroups showed improvement in depressive episode frequency with AD continuation, but contrary to the hypothesis, more improvement was seen in BD-I than in BD-II (for type II, mean [standard deviation] decrease in depressive episodes per year, 0.21 [0.26]; for type I, mean (SD) decrease, 0.35 [0.15]). Subjects with BD-II who continued on ADs had slightly more depressive, but fewer manic/hypomanic, episodes than subjects with BD-I. No notable differences were seen in either group in time to a recurrence of mood episodes or total time-in-remission.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings do not confirm the hypothesis that long-term AD treatment in patients with BP-II has better outcomes than in patients with BD-I, except somewhat lower risk of manic/hypomanic episodes.

Safety and effectiveness of continuation antidepressant versus mood stabilizer monotherapy for relapse-prevention of bipolar II depression: A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, prospective study

OBJECTIVE

Compare the safety and effectiveness of continuation antidepressant versus mood stabilizer monotherapy for preventing depressive relapse in bipolar II disorder.

METHODS

Subjects ≥18 years old with bipolar II depression (n=129) were randomized to double-blind venlafaxine or lithium monotherapy for 12 weeks. Responders with a ≥50% reduction in depression score were continued for an additional 6 months of relapse-prevention monotherapy. Primary outcome was depressive relapse during continuation monotherapy. Secondary outcomes included sustained response rate from initiation of treatment to study end-point, relapse hazard, time to relapse, change in mania ratings, and frequency of treatment-emergent sub-syndromal hypomania and/or depressive episodes.

RESULTS

Venlafaxine produced greater sustained response rate versus lithium (p<0.0001); however, there was no difference in relapse rate for venlafaxine (7.5%) versus lithium (26.7%) (p=0.079); relapse hazard (p=0.073), or time to relapse (p=0.090) between treatment conditions during continuation monotherapy. There were no group differences in mania rating scores over time and no difference in frequency or duration of syndromal or sub-syndromal hypomanic episodes. There were more sub-syndromal depressive episodes during lithium monotherapy (p=0.03).

LIMITATIONS

Sample size was limited by the lower sustained response rate for lithium versus venlafaxine; study was not specifically powered to detect differences in treatment-emergent hypomanic or depressive episodes between groups.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that continuation venlafaxine monotherapy may provide similar prophylactic effectiveness relative to lithium, with no difference in treatment-emergent hypomanic episodes and without the need for frequent serum lithium level and metabolic monitoring. Larger, prospective trials are needed to confirm these observations.

Long-term consequences of chronic fluoxetine exposure on the expression of myelination-related genes in the rat hippocampus

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine is widely prescribed for the treatment of symptoms related to a variety of psychiatric disorders. After chronic SSRI treatment, some symptoms remediate on the long term, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet well understood. Here we studied the long-term consequences (40 days after treatment) of chronic fluoxetine exposure on genome-wide gene expression. During the treatment period, we measured body weight; and 1 week after treatment, cessation behavior in an SSRI-sensitive anxiety test was assessed. Gene expression was assessed in hippocampal tissue of adult rats using transcriptome analysis and several differentially expressed genes were validated in independent samples. Gene ontology analysis showed that upregulated genes induced by chronic fluoxetine exposure were significantly enriched for genes involved in myelination. We also investigated the expression of myelination-related genes in adult rats exposed to fluoxetine at early life and found two myelination-related genes (Transferrin (Tf) and Ciliary neurotrophic factor (Cntf)) that were downregulated by chronic fluoxetine exposure. Cntf, a neurotrophic factor involved in myelination, showed regulation in opposite direction in the adult versus neonatally fluoxetine-exposed groups. Expression of myelination-related genes correlated negatively with anxiety-like behavior in both adult and neonatally fluoxetine-exposed rats. In conclusion, our data reveal that chronic fluoxetine exposure causes on the long-term changes in expression of genes involved in myelination, a process that shapes brain connectivity and contributes to symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

Cyclothymia reloaded: A reappraisal of the most misconceived affective disorder

Data emerging from both academic centers and from public and private outpatient facilities indicate that from 20% to 50% of all subjects that seek help for mood, anxiety, impulsive and addictive disorders turn out, after careful screening, to be affected by cyclothymia. The proportion of patients who can be classified as cyclothymic rises significantly if the diagnostic rules proposed by the DSM-5 are reconsidered and a broader approach is adopted. Unlike the DSM-5 definition based on the recurrence of low-grade hypomanic and depressive symptoms, cyclothymia is best identified as an exaggeration of cyclothymic temperament (basic mood and emotional instability) with early onset and extreme mood reactivity linked with interpersonal and separation sensitivity, frequent mixed features during depressive states, the dark side of hypomanic symptoms, multiple comorbidities, and a high risk of impulsive and suicidal behavior. Epidemiological and clinical research have shown the high prevalence of cyclothymia and the validity of the concept that it should be seen as a distinct form of bipolarity, not simply as a softer form. Misdiagnosis and consequent mistreatment are associated with a high risk of transforming cyclothymia into severe complex borderline-like bipolarity, especially with chronic and repetitive exposure to antidepressants and sedatives. The early detection and treatment of cyclothymia can guarantee a significant change in the long-term prognosis, when appropriate mood-stabilizing pharmacotherapy and specific psychological approaches and psychoeducation are adopted. The authors present and discuss clinical research in the field and their own expertise in the understanding and medical management of cyclothymia and its complex comorbidities.

Guidelines concordance of maintenance treatment in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder: Data from the national bipolar mania pathway survey (BIPAS) in mainland China

BACKGROUND

Although the treatment guidelines of bipolar disorders (BPD) have spread more than a decade, the concordance with evidence-based guidelines was typically low in routine clinical practice. This study is to present the data on the maintenance treatment of BPD in mainland China.

METHODS

One thousand and twenty-three patients who had experienced a euthymia were eligible for entry into this survey on the maintenance treatment of BPD. Guidelines disconcordance was determined by comparing the medication(s) that patients were prescribed with the recommendations in the guidelines of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments.

RESULTS

Three hundred and sixty-four patients (35.6%) had not been prescribed with the maintenance treatment as guidelines recommendations, and 208 patients (20.3%) were prescribed with the antidepressants. A longer duration of BPD, a depressive episode at first onset, and a recent depressive or mixed episode significantly increased the risk for guidelines disconcordance and prescribing antidepressant. In contrast, a hospitalization history due to manic episode was associated with a significant decrease in the risk for guidelines disconcordance and prescribing antidepressant.

LIMITATION

This study was a cross-sectional and retrospective investigation based on medical records.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the potentially hazardous effects of inappropriate treatment, individualized psychoeducational strategies for subjects with BPD are necessary to enhance treatment adherence and close the gap between guidelines and clinical practice in mainland China.

Treatment of bipolar disorders during pregnancy: maternal and fetal safety and challenges

Treating pregnant women with bipolar disorder is among the most challenging clinical endeavors. Patients and clinicians are faced with difficult choices at every turn, and no approach is without risk. Stopping effective pharmacotherapy during pregnancy exposes the patient and her baby to potential harms related to bipolar relapses and residual mood symptom-related dysfunction. Continuing effective pharmacotherapy during pregnancy may prevent these occurrences for many; however, some of the most effective pharmacotherapies (such as valproate) have been associated with the occurrence of congenital malformations or other adverse neonatal effects in offspring. Very little is known about the reproductive safety profile and clinical effectiveness of atypical antipsychotic drugs when used to treat bipolar disorder during pregnancy. In this paper, we provide a clinically focused review of the available information on potential maternal and fetal risks of untreated or undertreated maternal bipolar disorder during pregnancy, the effectiveness of interventions for bipolar disorder management during pregnancy, and potential obstetric, fetal, and neonatal risks associated with core foundational pharmacotherapies for bipolar disorder.

Review of evidence for use of antidepressants in bipolar depression

OBJECTIVE

Depressive episodes predominate over the course of bipolar disorder and cause considerable functional impairment. Antidepressants are frequently prescribed in the treatment of bipolar depression, despite concerns about efficacy and risk of switching to mania. This review provides a critical examination of the evidence for and against the use of antidepressants in bipolar depression.

DATA SOURCES

English-language peer-reviewed literature and evidence-based guidelines published between January 1, 1980, and March 2014, were identified using PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO/PsycLIT, and EMBASE. All searches contained the terms antidepressants, bipolar depression, depressive episodes in bipolar disorder, and treatment guidelines for bipolar depression. Meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and practice guidelines were included. Bibliographies from these publications were used to identify additional articles of interest.

DATA EXTRACTION

Studies involving treatment of bipolar depression with antidepressant monotherapy, adjunctive use of antidepressant with a mood stabilizer, and meta-analysis of such studies combined were reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

The body of evidence on the use of antidepressant monotherapy to treat patients with bipolar depression is contentious, but the recommendations from evidence-based guidelines do not support antidepressant monotherapy for bipolar depression. Only when mood stabilizer or atypical antipsychotic monotherapy has failed should adjunctive treatment with an antidepressant be considered.

Elevated serum measures of lipid peroxidation and abnormal prefrontal white matter in euthymic bipolar adults: toward peripheral biomarkers of bipolar disorder

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies consistently reported abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD), measures of the integrity of white matter (WM), in bipolar disorder (BD), that may reflect underlying pathophysiologic processes. There is, however, a pressing need to identify peripheral measures that are related to these WM measures, to help identify easily obtainable peripheral biomarkers of BD. Given the high lipid content of axonal membranes and myelin sheaths, and that elevated serum levels of lipid peroxidation are reported in BD, these serum measures may be promising peripheral biomarkers of underlying WM abnormalities in BD. We used DTI and probabilistic tractography to compare FA and RD in ten prefrontal-centered WM tracts, 8 of which are consistently shown to have abnormal FA (and/or RD) in BD, and also examined serum lipid peroxidation (lipid hydroperoxides, LPH and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-HNE), in 24 currently euthymic BD adults (BDE) and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy adults (CONT). There was a significant effect of group upon FA in these a priori WM tracts (BDECONT: F[1,41]=10.3; P=0.003), and a significant between-group difference in LPH (BDE>CONT: t[40]=2.4; P=0.022), but not in 4-HNE. Multivariate multiple regression analyses revealed that LPH variance explained, respectively, 59 and 51% of the variance of FA and RD across all study participants. This is the first study to examine relationships between measures of WM integrity and peripheral measures of lipid peroxidation. Our findings suggest that serum LPH may be useful in the development of a clinically relevant, yet easily obtainable and inexpensive, peripheral biomarkers of BD.

Treatment of bipolar depression: focus on pharmacologic therapies

Recent studies have highlighted significant limitations in our capacity to effectively treat bipolar depression. This article reviews the present status of treatments for this condition, highlighting emerging new pharmacotherapies such as lamotrigine, olanzapine and quetiapine, while also addressing modern psychologic interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation. The role of older treatments such as lithium and the antidepressants is also discussed, particularly as a recent meta-analysis has thrown into question current heightened concern over antidepressant-induced mania. The advent of new pharmacologic and psychologic treatments provides optimism for improved outcomes for this highly disabling condition.

Maintenance therapy for bipolar disorder: current and future management options

Bipolar disorder is an episodic condition usually requiring long-term, often life-long, treatment to control acute symptoms and stabilize mood. Clinicians face several challenges when deciding on the most appropriate long-term management strategy for patients with bipolar disorder, and consideration must be given to the heterogeneity of symptoms, tolerability and patient acceptability as well as individual history of response. Numerous treatments are available for the management of bipolar disorder, including lithium, divalproex, conventional antipsychotics, the anticonvulsant lamotrigine, and several newer atypical agents, including olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone and aripiprazole. Antidepressants may also have a role in managing acute depressive episodes but are not recommended as monotherapy in either acute or long-term maintenance treatment. Studies suggest that pharmacologic treatment given in conjunction with cognitive therapy or group psychoeducation is superior to usual care. This article reviews current treatment options and management strategies for the long-term maintenance of health in patients with bipolar disorder. Particular emphasis is given to the atypical agents and psychosocial strategies aimed at optimizing treatment adherence and long-term outcomes.

Antidepressant dosage taken by patients with bipolar disorder: factors associated with irregularity

BACKGROUND

This study analyzed regularity in the daily dosage of antidepressants taken by patients with bipolar disorder and identified the factors associated with irregularity.

METHODS

Daily self-reported medication dosage taken and mood ratings were available from 144 patients who received treatment as usual. All 144 patients took the same antidepressant for at least 100 days. One hundred eleven of these patients were also taking a mood stabilizer. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was used to measure serial regularity in daily dosage. Regularity is the tendency that values within a time series remain the same on incremental comparisons. Drug holidays (missing three or more consecutive days) were also determined. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to estimate if any demographic or clinical variables were associated with regularity.

RESULTS

Although the mean percent of days missing doses was only 18.6%, there was a wide range of regularity in the daily antidepressant dosage. Drug holidays were common, occurring in 41% of the analyses. Factors significantly associated with irregularity were as follows: total number of psychotropic medications (p = 0.005), pill burden (p = 0.005), and depression (p = 0.015). Neither the percent of days missing doses nor the drug holidays were associated with any demographic or clinical factors. For patients taking both antidepressants and mood stabilizers, there was no significant difference in regularity in daily dosage between these drugs.

DISCUSSION

There can be considerable irregularity in daily dosage despite a low percent of days missing doses. Medication regimen complexity and depressed mood are associated with increased irregularity. Daily regularity in drug dosage may be more dependent on the individual than on the specific drug. Research on the clinical impact of irregularity in daily dosage of antidepressants is needed.

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) task force report on antidepressant use in bipolar disorders

OBJECTIVE

The risk-benefit profile of antidepressant medications in bipolar disorder is controversial. When conclusive evidence is lacking, expert consensus can guide treatment decisions. The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened a task force to seek consensus recommendations on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorders.

METHOD

An expert task force iteratively developed consensus through serial consensus-based revisions using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic review of the literature. Subsequent surveys included new or reworded items and items that needed to be rerated. This process resulted in the final ISBD Task Force clinical recommendations on antidepressant use in bipolar disorder.

RESULTS

There is striking incongruity between the wide use of and the weak evidence base for the efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in bipolar disorder. Few well-designed, long-term trials of prophylactic benefits have been conducted, and there is insufficient evidence for treatment benefits with antidepressants combined with mood stabilizers. A major concern is the risk for mood switch to hypomania, mania, and mixed states. Integrating the evidence and the experience of the task force members, a consensus was reached on 12 statements on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of limited data, the task force could not make broad statements endorsing antidepressant use but acknowledged that individual bipolar patients may benefit from antidepressants. Regarding safety, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and bupropion may have lower rates of manic switch than tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants and norepinephrine-serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The frequency and severity of antidepressant-associated mood elevations appear to be greater in bipolar I than bipolar II disorder. Hence, in bipolar I patients antidepressants should be prescribed only as an adjunct to mood-stabilizing medications.

Pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder and concordance with treatment guidelines: survey of a general population sample referred to a tertiary care service

BACKGROUND

Many new approaches have been adopted for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) in the past few years, which strived to produce more positive outcomes. To enhance the quality of care, several guideline recommendations have been developed. For study purposes, we monitored the prescription of psychotropic drugs administered to bipolar patients who had been referred to tertiary care services, and assessed the degree to which treatment met specific guidelines.

METHODS

Between December 2006 and February 2009, we assessed 113 individuals suffering from BD who had been referred to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC) Mood Disorders Program by physicians within the community, mostly general practitioners. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR was used to assess diagnosis. The prescribed treatment was compared with specific Canadian guidelines (CANMAT, 2009). Univariate analyses and logistic regression were used to assess the contribution of demographic and clinical factors for concordance of treatment with guidelines.

RESULTS

Thirty-two subjects had BD type I (BD-I), and 81 subjects had BD type II (BD-II). All subjects with BD-I, and 90% of the BD-II group were given at least one psychotropic treatment. Lithium was more often prescribed for subjects with BD-I (62%) than those with BD-II (19%). Antidepressants were the most frequently prescribed class of psychotropics. Sixty-eight percent of subjects received treatment concordant with guidelines by medication and dose. The presence of a current hypomanic episode was independently associated with poorer concordance to guidelines. In more than half the cases, the inappropriate use of antidepressants was at the origin of the non concordance of treatment with respect to guidelines. Absence of psychotropic treatment in bipolar II patients and inadequate dosage of mood stabilizers were the two other main causes of non concordance with guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

The factors related to treatment not concordant with guidelines should be further explored to determine appropriate strategies in implementing the use of guidelines in clinical practice.

Antidepressant chronotherapeutics for bipolar depression

Chronotherapeutics refers to treatments based on the principles of circadian rhythm organization and sleep physiology, which control the exposure to environmental stimuli that act on biological rhythms, in order to achieve therapeutic effects in the treatment of psychiatric conditions. It includes manipulations of the sleep-wake cycle such as sleep deprivation and sleep phase advance, and controlled exposure to light and dark. The antidepressant effects of chronotherapeutics are evident in difficult-to-treat conditions such as bipolar depression, which has been associated with extremely low success rates of antidepressant drugs in naturalistic settings and with stable antidepressant response to chronotherapeutics in more than half of the patients. Recent advances in the study of the effects of chronotherapeutics on neurotransmitter systems, and on the biological clock machinery, allow us to pinpoint its mechanism of action and to transform it from a neglected or “orphan” treatment to a powerful clinical instrument in everyday psychiatric practice.

Overview of antidepressant treatment of bipolar depression

Bipolar depression remains a major unresolved challenge for psychiatric therapeutics. It is associated with significant disability and mortality and represents the major proportion of the approximately half of follow-up time spent in morbid states despite use of available treatments. Evidence regarding effectiveness of standard treatments, particularly with antidepressants, remains limited and inconsistent. We reviewed available clinical and research literature concerning treatment with antidepressants in bipolar depression and its comparison with unipolar depression. Research evidence concerning efficacy and safety of commonly used antidepressant treatments for acute bipolar depression is very limited. Nevertheless, an updated meta-analysis indicated that overall efficacy was significantly greater with antidepressants than with placebo-treatment and not less than was found in trials for unipolar major depression. Moreover, risks of non-spontaneous mood-switching specifically associated with antidepressant treatment are less than appears to be widely believed. The findings encourage additional efforts to test antidepressants adequately in bipolar depression, and to consider options for depression in types I vs. II bipolar disorder, depression with subsyndromal hypomania and optimal treatment of mixed agitated-dysphoric states--both short- and long-term. Many therapeutic trials considered were small, varied in design, often involved co-treatments, or lacked adequate controls.

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for the biological treatment of bipolar disorders: update 2012 on the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

These guidelines are based on a first edition that was published in 2004, and have been edited and updated with the available scientific evidence up to October 2012. Their purpose is to supply a systematic overview of all scientific evidence pertaining to the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder in adults.

METHODS

Material used for these guidelines are based on a systematic literature search using various data bases. Their scientific rigor was categorised into six levels of evidence (A-F) and different grades of recommendation to ensure practicability were assigned.

RESULTS

Maintenance trial designs are complex and changed fundamentally over time; thus, it is not possible to give an overall recommendation for long-term treatment. Different scenarios have to be examined separately: Prevention of mania, depression, or an episode of any polarity, both in acute responders and in patients treated de novo. Treatment might differ in Bipolar II patients or Rapid cyclers, as well as in special subpopulations. We identified several medications preventive against new manic episodes, whereas the current state of research into the prevention of new depressive episodes is less satisfactory. Lithium continues to be the substance with the broadest base of evidence across treatment scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

Although major advances have been made since the first edition of this guideline in 2004, there are still areas of uncertainty, especially the prevention of depressive episodes and optimal long-term treatment of Bipolar II patients.

Anxiety- rather than depression-like behavior is associated with adult neurogenesis in a female mouse model of higher trait anxiety- and comorbid depression-like behavior

Adult neurogenesis has been implicated in affective disorders and the action of antidepressants (ADs) although the functional significance of this association is still unclear. The use of animal models closely mimicking human comorbid affective and anxiety disorders seen in the majority of patients should provide relevant novel information. Here, we used a unique genetic mouse model displaying higher trait anxiety (HAB) and comorbid depression-like behavior. We demonstrate that HABs have a lower rate of hippocampal neurogenesis and impaired functional integration of newly born neurons as compared with their normal anxiety/depression-like behavior (NAB) controls. In HABs, chronic treatment with the AD fluoxetine alleviated their higher depression-like behavior and protected them from relapse for 3 but not 7 weeks after discontinuation of the treatment without affecting neurogenesis. Similar to what has been observed in depressed patients, fluoxetine treatment induced anxiogenic-like effects during the early treatment phase in NABs along with a reduction in neurogenesis. On the other hand, treatment with AD drugs with a particularly strong anxiolytic component, namely the neurokinin-1-receptor-antagonist L-822 429 or tianeptine, increased the reduced rate of neurogenesis in HABs up to NAB levels. In addition, challenge-induced hypoactivation of dentate gyrus (DG) neurons in HABs was normalized by all three drugs. Overall, these data suggest that AD-like effects in a psychopathological mouse model are commonly associated with modulation of DG hypoactivity but not neurogenesis, suggesting normalization of hippocampal hypoactivity as a neurobiological marker indicating successful remission. Finally, rather than to higher depression-related behavior, neurogenesis seems to be linked to pathological anxiety.

Mono- and combination drug therapies in hospitalized patients with bipolar depression. Data from the European drug surveillance program AMSP

BACKGROUND

For the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression several guidelines exist. It is largely unknown, to what extent the prescriptions in daily clinical routine correspond to these evidence based recommendations and which combinations of psychotropic drugs are frequently used.

METHODS

The prescriptions of psychotropic drugs were investigated of all in-patients with bipolar depression (n = 2246; time period 1994-2009) from hospitals participating in the drug surveillance program AMSP. For the drug use in 2010, 221 cases were analysed additionally.

RESULTS

From 1994 to 2009, 85% of all patients received more than one class of psychotropic substances: 74% received antidepressants in combination therapy, 55% antipsychotics, 48% anticonvulsants and 33% lithium. When given in combination, lithium is the most often prescribed substance for bipolar depression (33%), followed by valproic acid (23%), mirtazapine and venlafaxine (16% each), quetiapine (15%), lamotrigine (14%) and olanzapine (13%). Both, lithium and valproic acid are often combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), but also with mirtazapine und venlafaxine. Combinations of more than one antidepressant occur quite often, whereby combinations with bupropion, paroxetine, fluoxetine or fluvoxamine are very rare. In 2010, quetiapine (alone and combined) was the most frequently prescribed drug (39%); aripiprazole was administered in 10%.

CONCLUSION

Combinations of antidepressants (SSRI, mirtazapine, venlafaxine) with mood stabilizers (lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine) and / or atypical antipsychotics (quetiapine, olanzapine) are common. Of most of those combinations the efficacy has not been studied. The use of aripiprazole and the concomitant use of two or three antidepressants contrast the guidelines.