Clinical features, treatment and outcome of discospondylitis in cats

OBJECTIVES

There is a paucity of information on feline discospondylitis. This study aimed to describe the signalment, clinical and laboratory findings, aetiological agents, treatment and outcome in cats affected by discospondylitis.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of the medical records of cats diagnosed with discospondylitis at four referral institutions.

RESULTS

A total of 17 cats were identified. Most were domestic shorthair cats (76.5%) and male (58.8%), with a median age of 9 years (range 0.9-14) and a median duration of clinical signs of 3 weeks (range 0.3-16). All cats presented with spinal hyperaesthesia; 3/17 had pyrexia. Neurological dysfunction was found in 64.7% of cats, which was indicative of a T3-L3 or L4-S2 spinal segment, associated nerve root or associated nerve neurolocalisation. Haematology, serum biochemistry and urinalysis revealed occasional inconsistent non-specific changes. All cats underwent urine culture; 9/17 cats also had a distinct tissue cultured. Positive bacterial cultures were obtained in two cats (11.8%) for Staphylococcus species (urine, blood and intradiscal fine-needle aspirate) and Escherichia coli (urine); both presented with multifocal discospondylitis. Treatment was non-surgical in all cats, with sustained antibiotic therapy for a median of 3 months (range 1-9). Analgesia provided included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alone or in combination with gabapentin. Restricted exercise was advised for a minimum of 4 weeks. Outcome information available in 12 cats was excellent in terms of pain control and neurological function in 10 cats (83.3%) at the time of stopping antibiotics. Recurrence occurred in one case, which had received a single antibiotic for 6 weeks, and relapsed 4 months after presentation. One other case failed to improve and was euthanased during the course of hospitalisation.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Feline discospondylitis is uncommon and no obvious signalment predisposition was found in this study. Spinal hyperaesthesia was universally present, with neurological dysfunction also highly prevalent. Bacterial culture was unrewarding in most cases. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or cephalosporins are reasonable choices for first-line antibiotics. Prognosis was favourable, with no long-term evidence of recurrence in cats on sustained antibiotic therapy, for a mean duration of 3 months.

Accuracy of Placement of Pedicle Screws in the Lumbosacral Region of Dogs Using 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Drill Guides

OBJECTIVE

 The aim of this study was to report the accuracy of pedicle screw placement using three-dimensional (3D)-printed, patient-specific drill guides in the lumbosacral region of dogs.

STUDY DESIGN

 This was a retrospective study. Thirty-two pedicle screws were placed in five dogs. Medical records were reviewed between November 2015 and November 2018 for dogs showing clinical signs associated with cauda equina syndrome. Inclusion criteria included preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) and dorsal stabilization, with pedicle screws placed using 3D-printed, patient-specific drill guides and polymethylmethacrylate. Screw placement was evaluated for medial or lateral breaching on postoperative CT.

RESULTS

 Five dogs met the inclusion criteria. Four had degenerative lumbosacral stenosis and one had discospondylitis. All dogs had failed medical management prior to surgery. Of 32 bicortical pedicle screws placed, 30 were fully contained inside the pedicle and 2 were partially breaching the vertebral canal (less than one-third of the screw diameter). Postoperative CT revealed good alignment of L7-S1 in all planes.

CONCLUSION

 This technique enabled an accurate and safe placement of pedicle screws in the lumbosacral region of dogs with lumbosacral disease. Three-dimensional, printed patient-specific drill guides are a safe and effective method of placing pedicle screws in dogs with lumbosacral disease.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder: a comparison of clinical features

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is currently classified as a somatoform disorder in DSM-IV, but has been long noted to have some important similarities with obsessive—compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition, BDD and OCD have been often reported to be comorbid with each other. In the present study, we compared demographic characteristics, clinical features and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with OCD, BDD or comorbid BDD—OCD (34 subjects with BDD, 79 with OCD and 24 with BDD—OCD). We also compared the pattern of body dysmorphic concerns and associated behaviors in BDD patients with or without OCD comorbidity. In our sample, BDD and OCD groups showed similar sex ratio. Both groups with BDD and BDD—OCD were significantly younger, and experienced the onset of their disorder at a significantly younger age than subjects with OCD. The two BDD groups were also less likely to be married, and more likely to be unemployed and to have achieved lower level degree, than OCD subjects even when controlling for age. The three groups were significantly different in the presence of comorbid bulimia, alcohol-related and substance-use disorders, BDD—OCD patients showing the highest rate and OCD the lowest. BDD—OCD reported more comorbid bipolar II disorder and social phobia than in the other two groups, while generalized anxiety disorder was observed more frequently in OCD patients. Patients with BDD and BDD—OCD were similar as regards the presence of repetitive BDD-related behaviors, such as mirror-checking or camouflaging. Both groups also did show a similar pattern of distribution as regards the localization of the supposed physical defects in specific areas of the body. The only significant difference concerned the localization in the face, that was more frequent in the BDD group. Our results do not contradict the proposed possible conceptualization of BDD as an OCD spectrum disorder. However, BDD does not appear to be a simple clinical variant of OCD and it seems to be also related to social phobia, mood, eating and impulse control disorders. The co-presence of BDD and OCD features appears to possibly individuate a particularly severe form of the syndrome, with a greater load of psychopathology and functional impairment and a more frequent occurrence of other comorbid mental disorders.

Retrospective comparison of first-line adjuvant anthracycline vs metronomic-based chemotherapy protocols in the treatment of stage I and II canine splenic haemangiosarcoma

Splenectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is commonly used to treat canine splenic haemangiosarcoma (HSA), although it is unclear if different treatment protocols may have a similar efficacy. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess outcome in dogs with stage I and II splenic HSA treated with either first-line adjuvant anthracycline (AC) or metronomic (MC)-based chemotherapy protocols, by comparing median time to progression (TTP) and median survival time (MST). Medical records of nine institutions were searched for dogs diagnosed with stage I and II splenic HSA that underwent adjuvant treatment with AC- or MC-based protocols following splenectomy. Patients treated with MC following AC were included in an additional group (AMC). Ninety-three dogs were included: 50 in the AC group, 23 in the AMC group and 20 in the MC group. The overall MST was 200 days (range 47-3352) and the overall median TTP was 185 days (range 37-1236). The median TTP of stage I dogs was significantly longer compared to stage II dogs (338 vs 151 days, respectively, P = .028). When adjusting for treatment type, the MST was 154 days for the AC group (range 47-3352 days), 338 days for the AMC group (range 79-1623 days) and 225 days for the MC group (range 57-911 days). The difference in MST and median TTP was not found to be statistically significant between treatment groups. This study suggests that adjuvant MC in canine splenic HSA may result in a similar outcome when compared to other treatment protocols. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder with Comorbid Bipolar Disorders: Clinical Features and Treatment Implications

BACKGROUND

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms within the context of a bipolar disorder (BD) have been described since the 19th century. Interestingly, the existence of a relevant overlap between the aforementioned psychiatric syndromes has been confirmed by a number of recent epidemiological and family studies.

AIMS

The aim of the present paper is to review the clinical features and the therapeutic implications of the OCD-BD comorbidity.

DISCUSSION

In the last two decades, the frequent association between OCD and BD has been earning a growing interest given its relevant nosological and therapeutic implications. Usually patients suffering from OCD-BD comorbidity show a peculiar clinical course, characterized by a larger number of concomitant depressive episodes and episodic course. In these cases, the treatment with antidepressants is more likely to elicit hypomanic or manic switches, while mood stabilizers significantly improve the overall clinical picture. Moreover, OCD-BD patients are frequently comorbid with a number of other psychiatric disorders, in particular anxiety disorders, social phobia, and different substance abuses, such as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and sedatives.

CONCLUSIONS

BD-OCD comorbidity needs further investigations in order to provide more solid evidences to give patients a more precise clinical diagnosis and a more targeted therapeutic approach.

MRI of osteosarcoma metastases in the brain of an old English Sheepdog

A 9-year-old, male neutered old English Sheepdog was presented for further investigation of altered mentation, impaired vision, and hemineglect syndrome of 10 days duration. An MRI study of the brain revealed multifocal, contrast-enhancing intra-axial lesions that had a stippled hypointense appearance in all sequences but lacked evidence of a strong signal void on T2* images. Histological examination of the brain postmortem confirmed the lesions were metastases arising from an osteosarcoma, which was later identified in the right humerus. To the authors' knowledge, these MRI characteristics of osteosarcoma metastases in the canine brain have not been previously reported.

Electroconvulsive therapy and age: Age-related clinical features and effectiveness in treatment resistant major depressive episode

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to compare clinical features, treatments outcomes and tolerability between young (18-45 years), middle age (46-64 years) and old (≥ 65 years) patients treated with bilateral ECT for treatment resistant major depressive episode.

METHOD

402 patients were evaluated 1 day prior to ECT and a week after the treatment termination using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 items (HAM-D-17), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Response was defined as a reduction of at least 50% from baseline on the HAM-D-17 score. Remission was defined as a score ≤ 7 on the HAM-D-17 at the final evaluation.

RESULTS

Rates of response were not statistically different in the three groups (69.6% in old versus 63.5% in young and 55.5% in middle age groups). No significant differences were also observed in the proportions of remitters between the age groups (31.4% in young group, 27.7% in middle age group and 29.3% in old group). One week after the end of the ECT course the middle and old age groups showed a statistically significant increase in the MMSE score compared to baseline. We did not find significant differences between the three age groups in rates of premature drops-out due to ECT-related side effects.

CONCLUSION

Our data support the use of ECT in elderly patients with treatment-resistant major depressive episode, with rates of response around 70% and effectiveness being independent from age. In the old age group the baseline cognitive impairment improved after ECT and no life-threatening adverse event was detected.

Biochemical parameters of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) after transport with eugenol or essential oil of Lippia alba added to the water

The transport of live fish is a routine practice in aquaculture and constitutes a considerable source of stress to the animals. The addition of anesthetic to the water used for fish transport can prevent or mitigate the deleterious effects of transport stress. This study investigated the effects of the addition of eugenol (EUG) (1.5 or 3.0 µL L-1) and essential oil of Lippia alba (EOL) (10 or 20 µL L-1) on metabolic parameters (glycogen, lactate and total protein levels) in liver and muscle, acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) in muscle and brain, and the levels of protein carbonyl (PC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nonprotein thiol groups (NPSH) and activity of glutathione-S-transferase in the liver of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen; Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) transported for four hours in plastic bags (loading density of 169.2 g L-1). The addition of various concentrations of EUG (1.5 or 3.0 µL L-1) and EOL (10 or 20 µL L-1) to the transport water is advisable for the transportation of silver catfish, since both concentrations of these substances increased the levels of NPSH antioxidant and decreased the TBARS levels in the liver. In addition, the lower liver levels of glycogen and lactate in these groups and lower AChE activity in the brain (EOL 10 or 20 µL L-1) compared to the control group indicate that the energetic metabolism and neurotransmission were lower after administration of anesthetics, contributing to the maintenance of homeostasis and sedation status.

The Role of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Bipolar Disorder: Effectiveness in 522 Patients with Bipolar Depression, Mixed-state, Mania and Catatonic Features

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the effectiveness of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in a large sample of bipolar patients with drug resistant depression, mania, mixed state and catatonic features.

METHOD

522 consecutive patients with DSM-IV-TR BD were evaluated prior to and after the ECT course. Responders and nonresponders were compared in subsamples of depressed and mixed patients. Descriptive analyses were reported for patients with mania and with catatonic features.

RESULTS

Of the original sample only 22 patients were excluded for the occurrence of side effects or consent withdrawal. After the ECT course, 344 (68.8%) patients were considered responders (final CGIi score ≤2) and 156 (31.2%) nonresponders. Response rates were respectively 68.1% for BD depression, 72.9% for mixed state, 75% for mania and 80.8% for catatonic features. Length of current episode and global severity of the illness were the only statistically significant predictors of nonresponse.

CONCLUSION

ECT resulted to be an effective and safe treatment for all the phases of severe and drug-resistant BD. Positive response was observed in approximately two-thirds of the cases and in 80% of the catatonic patients. The duration of the current episode was the major predictor of nonresponse. The risk of ECT-induced mania is virtually absent and mood destabilization very unlikely. Our results clearly indicate that current algorithms for the treatment of depressive, mixed, manic and catatonic states should be modified and, at least for the most severe patients, ECT should not be considered as a "last resort".

Catatonia in 26 patients with bipolar disorder: clinical features and response to electroconvulsive therapy

OBJECTIVES

We describe the clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of a sample of inpatients with bipolar disorder with severe catatonic features resistant to pharmacological treatment.

METHODS

The study involved 26 catatonic patients, resistant to a trial of benzodiazepines, and then treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). All patients were evaluated prior to and one week following the ECT course using the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI).

RESULTS

In our sample, women were over-represented (n = 23, 88.5%), the mean (± standard deviation) age was 49.5 ± 12.5 years, the mean age at onset was 28.1 ± 12.8 years, and the mean number of previous mood episodes was 5.3 ± 2.9. The mean duration of catatonic symptoms was 16.7 ± 11.8 (range: 3-50) weeks, and personal history of previous catatonic episodes was present in 10 patients (38.5%). Seventeen (65.4%) patients showed abnormalities at cerebral computerized tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging and neurological comorbidities were observed in 15.4% of the sample. Stupor, rigidity, staring, negativism, withdrawal, and mutism were observed in more than 90% of patients. At the end of the ECT course, 21 patients (80.8%) were classified as responders. The BFCRS showed the largest percentage of improvement, with an 82% reduction of the initial score. The number of previous mood episodes was significantly lower and the use of anticholinergic and dopamine-agonist medications was significantly more frequent in non-responders than in responders.

CONCLUSIONS

Our patients with bipolar disorder had predominantly retarded catatonia, frequent previous catatonic episodes, indicating a recurrent course, and high rates of concomitant brain structure alterations. However, ECT was a very effective treatment for catatonia in this patient group that was resistant to benzodiazepines.

Electroconvulsive therapy in 197 patients with a severe, drug-resistant bipolar mixed state: treatment outcome and predictors of response

OBJECTIVE

We prospectively evaluated the short-term outcome and the predictors of response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a large sample of patients with a bipolar mixed state.

METHOD

From January 2006 to May 2011, we performed an analysis using data obtained from 197 of 203 consecutive patients with a bipolar mixed state, according to DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria, who were treated with ECT at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pisa. All patients were evaluated prior to and after the ECT course using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale. The CGI subscale "global improvement" and final HDRS-17 and YMRS total scores were used to identify nonresponder, responder, and remitter groups.

RESULTS

At the end of the ECT course, 55 patients (27.9%) were considered nonresponders, 82 responders (41.6%), and 60 remitters (30.5%). As expected, at the end of the ECT trial, the CGI-Severity scale (CGI-S; P < .0001), HDRS-17 (P < .0001), and BPRS (P < .0001) scores were significantly lower in remitters than in responders and nonresponders. Using backward stepwise logistic regression, the length of current episode, lifetime comorbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and baseline YMRS total mean score were statistically significant predictors of nonresponse versus remission (P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Less than 30% of the patients included in the study were nonresponders to ECT. Long-lasting mixed episode with excitatory symptoms and lifetime comorbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder significantly predicted a lack of complete remission.

Electroconvulsive therapy in catatonic patients: Efficacy and predictors of response

Recent evidence favors the view of catatonia as an autonomous syndrome, frequently associated with mood disorders, but also observed in neurological, neurodevelopmental, physical and toxic conditions. From our systematic literature review, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) results effective in all forms of catatonia, even after pharmacotherapy with benzodiazepines has failed. Response rate ranges from 80% to 100% and results superior to those of any other therapy in psychiatry. ECT should be considered first-line treatment in patients with malignant catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, delirious mania or severe catatonic excitement, and in general in all catatonic patients that are refractory or partially responsive to benzodiazepines. Early intervention with ECT is encouraged to avoid undue deterioration of the patient's medical condition. Little is known about the long-term treatment outcomes following administration of ECT for catatonia. The presence of a concomitant chronic neurologic disease or extrapyramidal deficit seems to be related to ECT non-response. On the contrary, the presence of acute, severe and psychotic mood disorder is associated with good response. Severe psychotic features in responders may be related with a prominent GABAergic mediated deficit in orbitofrontal cortex, whereas non-responders may be characterized by a prevalent dopaminergic mediated extrapyramidal deficit. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that ECT is more effective in "top-down" variant of catatonia, in which the psychomotor syndrome may be sustained by a dysregulation of the orbitofrontal cortex, than in "bottom-up" variant, in which an extrapyramidal dysregulation may be prevalent. Future research should focus on ECT response in different subtype of catatonia and on efficacy of maintenance ECT in long-term prevention of recurrent catatonia. Further research on mechanism of action of ECT in catatonia may also contribute to the development of other brain stimulation techniques.

General medical conditions in 347 bipolar disorder patients: clinical correlates of metabolic and autoimmune-allergic diseases

BACKGROUND

Patients with bipolar disorder (BD) suffer from greater physical morbidity and mortality than the general population. The aim of the present study is to explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of General Medical Conditions (GMC) in a large consecutive sample of patients with BD.

METHOD

The study sample comprised of 347 patients who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for BD I (n=207, 59.7%), BD II or Cyclothymic Disorder (n=140, 40.3). Diagnostic information was collected by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders- Clinical Version (SCID-I), and information about personal and family history were collected by the Semi-Structured Interview for Mood Disorder-Revised (SIMD-R). Standardized procedure was used to assess the diagnosis of GMC, which was considered present only if a specific therapy to treat the condition was prescribed by a specialist or a general practitioner. In order to explore possible relationships between physical comorbidity and clinical features of BD, we compared patients with (MD) and without (No-MD) Metabolic Diseases (MD) and patients with (AAD) and without (No-AAD) Autoimmune-Allergic Diseases (AAD).

RESULTS

The most commonly reported GMCs were: Headache, Hypercholesterolemia (>200mg/dl), Chronic Constipation, Obesity, Arterial Hypertension (BP >140/90 mmHg), Hypothyroidism, Allergic Rhino-Conjunctivitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hypertriglyceridemia (>150 mg/dl), Metabolic Syndrome, Hiatus Hernia, Dysmenorrhea, Urticaria, Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Diabetes Mellitus, Bronchial Asthma, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Biliary Lithiasis, and COPD. In our sample, MD (n=148, 42.7%) and AAD (n=167, 48.1%) were the most common categories of GMCs. Interestingly, the lifetime prevalence of cancer and neoplastic diseases was very low: 1 patient (.3%) reported Lung Adenocarcinoma and 2 (.6%) patients Bowel Cancer. In the group comparisons, length of pharmacological treatment (OR=1.054; 95% CI=1.030-1.078), age at onset of first major episode (OR=1.043; 95% CI=1.019-1.067), length of the current episode (OR=1.025; 95% CI=1.020-1.533) and absence of lifetime comorbid substance abuse (OR=.373; 95% CI=.141-.989) were statistically associated with the presence of comorbid MD; while only AD-induced hypomania (OR=1.62; 95% CI=1.011-2.597), and cyclothymic temperament (OR=1.051; 95% CI=1.016-1.087) were statistically associated with the presence of comorbid AAD.

LIMITATIONS

Possible referral and selection bias; retrospective, non-blind, cross-sectional evaluation.

CONCLUSION

MD and AAD were highly represented in our sample, while cancer and neoplastic diseases were uncommon. The clinical correlates of different sub-groups of GMC suggest different interpretations. The presence of MD seems to be correlated with the progression of BD and the chronic medication exposure, while comorbid AAD seems to correlate with a specific clinical subtype of BD, characterized by mood reactivity and temperamental mood instability. If the link with autoimmune-allergic diathesis will be confirmed, it could provide an interesting new paradigm for the study of the "systemic" nature of mood disorders and a promising target for future treatment options.

Bipolar disorder in adults with Asperger׳s Syndrome: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Asperger׳s Syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder included in the Autism Spectrum (ASD). The current literature shows growing evidence of a high rate of comorbidity between AS and other psychiatric disorders, particularly Bipolar Disorder (BD). We reviewed available epidemiological and clinical data on BD-AS comorbidity and its diagnostic and therapeutic implications

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted through PubMed, Scopus and Psych-Info using combinations of the following search terms: Asperger׳s Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, depression, mood disorder, psychiatric comorbidity, treatment, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and antidepressants.

RESULTS

BD prevalence in adults with AS ranges from 6% to 21.4% of the cases. Relatives of patients with AS showed a doubled risk of being affected by BD and a BD prevalence near to 10%. When comorbid with AS, BD assumes peculiar features which might shape its under-recognition or misdiagnosis (especially schizophrenia when psychotic symptoms are prominent). Although controlled data on pharmacological treatments in BD-AS comorbidity are substantially lacking, information is derived by open observations, case series and chart reviews. Mood stabilizers should be considered the first choice, and antipsychotics, especially second generation drugs (SGA) with 5-HT2a antagonism, have been shown useful in controlling psychotic and behavioral symptoms and improving social withdrawal. Some evidence of efficacy for the treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depression is reported for SSRI antidepressants. The use of these drugs should be carefully monitored, because activation with hypomanic or manic switches is reported up to 54% of the treated subjects.

CONCLUSION

BD in AS patients is frequent, usually it onsets during adolescence and is often characterized by atypical presentation, making its correct identification particularly difficult. A correct diagnosis of BD in AS individuals has relevant implications on the choice of adequate psychopharmacological, psycho-social and rehabilitative treatments.

Spirituality and religiosity in the aftermath of a natural catastrophe in Italy

The aim of this study is to assess the influence of spirituality and religiousness on the psychological traumatic effects of a catastrophic event in a population that had been exposed to an earthquake compared with a control population that had not been exposed. A total of 901 people have been evaluated using: (1) Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality; (2) Impact of Event Scale and (3) Trauma and Loss Spectrum-Self Report (TALS-SR). Self-perceptions of spirituality and religiousness were used to rank the samples, distinguishing between spiritual and religious, spiritual-only, religious-only and neither spiritual nor religious groups. The sample that had experienced the earthquake showed lower scores in spiritual dimension. The religious-only group of those who were exposed to the earthquake demonstrated TALS-SR re-experiencing and arousal domain scores similar to the population that was not exposed. A weakening of spiritual religiosity in people having difficulty coping with trauma is a consistent finding. We further observed that the religious dimension helped to buffer the community against psychological distress caused by the earthquake. The religiosity dimension can positively affect the ability to cope with traumatic experiences.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in Italian bipolar adult patients: a preliminary report

BACKGROUND

It has been recently suggested that bipolar disorder (BD) with comorbid ADHD represents a distinct clinical phenotype of BD. With the aim to assess the impact of ADHD symptoms, we investigated the prevalence, epidemiological and clinical features associated with such a comorbidity in a sample of adult BD patients.

METHODS

A total of 96 outpatients (aged 18-65 years) with BD were included. All patients were screened using the Adult ADHD Self-report Scale (ASRS) and the Diagnostic, Clinical and Therapeutic Checklist (DCTC), a semi-structured interview developed for systematic collection of familial, demographic, anamnestic and clinical informations and exploration of DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for mood, anxiety, eating, impulse control and alcohol and substance use disorders. The DCTC also includes the Clinical Global Impression Bipolar scale (CGI-BP), the Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS).

RESULTS

In our sample, 19 (19.8%) out of 96 BD patients fulfilled ASRS criteria for current and lifetime (onset before 7 years of age) ADHD symptoms (ADHD+). Compared to BD probands without ADHD symptoms (ADHD-), ADHD+ patients showed higher rates of current mixed episode, and lower rates of mania. ADHD+ resulted in more severe mean scores on the CGI-BP mixed, depressive and global subscales. None of the ADHD+ patients were in remission of BD at the time of the evaluation, versus 24 (31.2%) of the ADHD- group. ADHD+ patients also reported higher rate of lifetime comorbidity with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Alcohol Abuse in comparison to ADHD- patients. In particular the different rate in substance abuse was related to cocaine and poly-drug abuse. The two groups did not report significant differences in functioning and social adjustment with the exception of familial adjustment that was more compromised in ADHD+ than in ADHD- patients.

LIMITATIONS

Retrospective design and limited sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

In ADHD+ patients, BD is associated with higher rate of mixed states, more severe psychopathology and more impaired familial functioning as well as higher rates of comorbid substance, alcohol and poly-drug abuse compared to BD patients without adult ADHD. Our findings suggest that ADHD symptoms in adults may influence clinical presentation, course and prognosis of BD. Further prospective research is needed to confirm our findings and to explore treatment implications for the management of BD.

Different measures of impulsivity in patients with anxiety disorders: a case control study

The relationship between anxiety and impulsivity is controversial and not well explored. The present investigation aims to compare impulsivity, measured by different rating tools, in patients with anxiety disorders vs. healthy controls. Forty-seven subjects with different anxiety disorders and 45 matched controls underwent diagnostic and symptomatological evaluations by the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) Plus 5.0, Bech-Raphaelsen Depression and Mania Scale (BRDMS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Hypomania Check List (HCL-32) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI); temperamental evaluations by the Questionnaire for the Affective and Anxious Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Modified (TEMPS-M), the Separation Anxiety Sensitivity Index (SASI), the Interpersonal Sensitivity Symptoms Inventory (ISSI); and psychometric and a neurocognitive evaluations of impulsivity using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and the Immediate and Delayed Memory Task (IMT-DMT). Subjects with anxiety disorders were more impulsive than the controls in all the explored measures, with higher scores in symptomatological and, temperamental scales. Patients with anxiety disorders but without a lifetime history of comorbid major mood episodes had greater trait and state impulsivity than controls. Further investigations are needed to assess the extent to which impulsivity might or might not be directly related to the anxiety disorder.

The influence of affective temperaments and psychopathological traits on the definition of bipolar disorder subtypes: a study on bipolar I Italian national sample

Affective temperament and psychopathological traits such as separation anxiety (SA) and interpersonal sensitivity (IPS) are supposed to impact on the clinical manifestation and on the course of Bipolar Disorder (BD); in the present study we investigated their influence on the definition of BD subtypes.

METHOD

: Among 106 BD-I patients with DSM-IV depressive, manic or mixed episode included in a multi-centric Italian study and treated according to the routine clinical practice, 89 (84.0%) were in remission after a follow-up period ranging from 3 to 6 months (Clinical Global Impression-BP [CGI-BP] <2). Remitting patients underwent a comprehensive evaluation including self-report questionnaires such as the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A) scale, Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI), Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM) and the Semi-structured interview for Mood Disorder (SIMD-R) administered by experienced clinicians. Correlation and factorial analyses were conducted on temperamental and psychopathological measures. Comparative analyses were conducted on different temperamental subtypes based on the TEMPS-A, SASI and IPSM profile.

RESULTS

: Depressive, cyclothymic and irritable TEMPS-A score and SASI and IPSM total scores were positively and statistically correlated with each other. On the contrary, hyperthymic temperament score was negatively correlated with depressive temperament and not significantly correlated with the other temperamental and psychopathological dimensions. The factorial analysis of the TEMPS-A subscales and SASI and IPSM total scores allowed the extraction of 2 factors: the cyclothymic-sensitive (explaining 46% of the variance) that included, as positive components, depressive, cyclothymic, irritable temperaments and SASI and IPSM scores; the hyperthymic (explaining the 19% of the variance) included hyperthymic temperament as the only positive component and depressive temperament and IPSM, as negative components. Dominant cyclothymic-sensitive patients (n=49) were more frequently females and reported higher number of depressive, hypomanic and suicide attempts when compared to the dominant hyperthymic patients (n=40). On the contrary, these latter showed a higher number of manic episodes and hospitalizations than cyclothymic-sensitive patients. The rates of first-degree family history for both mood and anxiety disorders were higher in cyclothymic-sensitive than in hyperthymic patients. Cyclothymic sensitive patients also reported more axis I lifetime co-morbidities with Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia and Social Anxiety Disorder in comparison with hyperthymics. As concerns axis II co-morbidity the cyclothymic-sensitive patients met more frequently DSM-IV criteria 1, 5 and 7 for borderline personality disorder than the hyperthymics. On the contrary, antisocial personality disorder was more represented among hyperthymic than cyclothymic patients, in particular for DSM-IV criteria 1 and 6.

LIMITATION

: No blind evaluation and uncertain validity of personality inventory.

CONCLUSION

: Our results support the view that affective temperaments influence the clinical features of BD in terms of both clinical and course characteristics, family history and axis I and II co-morbidities. Hypothetical temperamental subtypes as measured by TEMPS-A presented important interrelationships that permit to reliably isolate two fundamental temperamental disposition: the first characterized by rapid fluctuations of mood and emotional instability, and the second by hyperactivity, high level of energy and emotional intensity. Dominant cyclothymic and hyperthymic bipolar I patients reported important differences in terms of gender distribution, number and polarity of previous episodes, hospitalizations, suicidality, rates of co-morbid anxiety and personality traits and disorders. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that affective temperaments, and in particular cyclothymia, could be utilized as quantitative, intermediate phenotypes in order to identify BD susceptibility genes.

Impulsivity in anxiety disorder patients: is it related to comorbid cyclothymia?

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between anxiety and impulsivity is controversial and not well explored. In a previous study we compared impulsivity, measured by different rating tools, in patients with anxiety disorders vs. healthy controls. In the same sample we now explore the influence of comorbid soft bipolar spectrum disorders on the relationship between anxiety disorders and impulsivity.

METHOD

A sample including 47 subjects with anxiety disorder(s) and 45 control subjects matched for demographic, educational and work characteristics underwent a diagnostic evaluation by the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); a symptomatological evaluation by the Bech-Rafaelsen Depression and Mania Scale (BRDMS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Hypomania Check List (HCL-32) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI); a temperamental and personological evaluation by the Questionnaire for the Affective and Anxious Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Modified (TEMPS-M), the Separation Anxiety Symptoms Inventory (SASI), the Interpersonal Sensitivity Symptoms Inventory (ISSI); and, finally, a psychometric and a neuro-cognitive evaluation of impulsivity by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and the Immediate and Delayed Memory Task (IMT/DMT). The initial sample of patients with anxiety disorders was then subdivided into two subgroups depending on the presence of comorbid cyclothymia (Cyclo+, n=26 and Cyclo-, n=21). For the diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder, we used both the DSM-IV-TR criteria and also a modified threshold for hypomania with a duration of 2 days. We compared symptomatological, temperamental, personological and impulsivity measures in Cyclo+, Cyclo- and controls.

RESULTS

The comparison between Cyclo+, Cyclo- and controls showed that Cyclo+ are the most impulsive subjects in all the investigated measures and are characterized by greatest symptomatological impairment, highest scores in temperamental scales, and highest levels of interpersonal sensitivity and separation anxiety. Cyclo- subjects resulted to be more impulsive compared to controls concerning the retrospective trait measures, but not in the neuro-cognitive test.

LIMITATIONS

Correlational cross-sectional study.

CONCLUSION

In our patients with anxiety disorders, without lifetime comorbidity with major mood episodes, trait and state impulsivity resulted to be greater than in controls. In particular impulsivity was highest in patients with both anxiety disorders and cyclothymia. In anxious-cyclothymic patients also separation anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity were more severe than in anxious patients without cyclothymia and controls. Our findings suggest that impulsivity, rather than being directly related to the presence of the anxiety disorder, could be associated with comorbidity with cyclothymia.

Episode length and mixed features as predictors of ECT nonresponse in patients with medication-resistant major depression

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to ascertain predictors of nonresponse to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a large sample of major depressive patients resistant to pharmacologic treatment.

METHODS

A total of 208 depressive patients (31 with major depression [UP], 101 with bipolar disorder II [BP II], and 76 with bipolar disorder I [BP I] according to DSM-IV criteria) were included in the study and treated with bilateral ECT on a twice-a-week schedule. The patients were assessed before (baseline) and a week after the ECT course (final score) using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 items (HAM-D-17), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and the Clinical Global Improvement (CGI). Responders were defined as those patients with a reduction of at least 50% in HAM-D-17 score and a rating of 2 ("much improved") or 1 ("very much improved") in the CGI-Improvement subscale.

RESULTS

At the end of the ECT course, 152 patients (64%) were classified as responders and 56 patients (36%) were classified as nonresponders. On backward stepwise logistic regression, bipolar subtype (odds ratio [OR]=17.85; 95% confidence level [CL]=1.786-178.407), higher mean baseline YMRS scores (OR=1.094; 95% CL=1.025-1.166), lower mean baseline HAM-D-17 scores (OR=0.928; 95% CL=0.860-1.002), and length of current episode (OR=1.047; 95% CL=1.009-1.086) were identified as statistically significant predictors of nonresponse.

CONCLUSIONS

ECT was an effective treatment for approximately two-thirds of the patients with medication-resistant depression who were included in this study. ECT nonresponse was associated with bipolar subtype, presence of manic symptoms during depression, slightly less severe depressive symptomatology, and protracted duration of the episode.

The clinical-familial correlates and naturalistic outcome of panic-disorder-agoraphobia with and without lifetime bipolar II comorbidity

BACKGROUND

Much of the literature on panic disorder (PD)-bipolar disorder (BP) comorbidity concerns BP-I. This literature emphasizes the difficulties encountered in pharmacologic treatment and outcome when such comorbidity is present. The present report explores these issues with respect to BP-II.

METHODS

The sample comprised 326 outpatients (aged 34.5 +/- 11.5 years old; 222 females) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 3rd edn, revised (DSM-III-R) PD-agoraphobia; among them 52 subjects (16%) were affected by lifetime comorbidity with BP-II. Patients were evaluated by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), the Panic-Agoraphobia Interview, and the Longitudinal Interview Follow-up Examination (Life-Up) and treated according to routine clinical practice at the University of Pisa, Italy, for a period of 3 years. Clinical and course features were compared between subjects with and without BP-II. All patients received the clinicians' choice of antidepressants and, in the case of the subsample with BP-II, mood stabilizers (for example, valproate, lithium) were among the mainstays of treatment.

RESULTS

In comparison to patients without bipolar comorbidity, those with BP-II showed a significantly greater frequency of social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcohol-related disorders, and separation anxiety during childhood and adolescence. Regarding family history, a significantly greater frequency of PD and mood disorders was present among the BP-II. No significant differences were observed in the long-term course of PD or agoraphobic symptoms under pharmacological treatment or the likelihood of spontaneous pharmacological treatment interruptions.

CONCLUSION

Although the severity and outcome of panic-agoraphobic symptomatology appear to be similar in patients with and without lifetime bipolar comorbidity, the higher number of concomitant disorders in our PD patients with BP-II does indicate a greater complexity of the clinical picture in this naturalistic study. That such complexity does not seem to translate into poorer response and outcome in those with comorbid soft bipolarity probably reflects the fact that we had brought BP-II under control with mood stabilizers. We discuss the implications of our findings as further evidence for the existence of a distinct anxious-bipolar diathesis.

Diagnosis and treatment of agoraphobia with panic disorder

Agoraphobia with panic disorder is a phobic-anxious syndrome where patients avoid situations or places in which they fear being embarrassed, or being unable to escape or get help if a panic attack occurs. During the last half-century, agoraphobia has been thought of as being closely linked to the recurring panic attack syndrome, so much so that in most cases it appears to be the typical development or complication of panic disorder. Despite the high prevalence of agoraphobia with panic disorder in patients in primary-care settings, the condition is frequently under-recognised and under-treated by medical providers. Antidepressants have been demonstrated to be effective in preventing panic attacks, and in improving anticipatory anxiety and avoidance behaviour. These drugs are also effective in the treatment of the frequently coexisting depressive symptomatology. Among antidepressant agents, SSRIs are generally well tolerated and effective for both anxious and depressive symptomatology, and these compounds should be considered the first choice for short-, medium- and long-term pharmacological treatment of agoraphobia with panic disorder. The few comparative studies conducted to date with various SSRIs reported no significant differences in terms of efficacy; however, the SSRIs that are less liable to produce withdrawal symptoms after abrupt discontinuation should be considered the treatments of first choice for long-term prophylaxis. Venlafaxine is not sufficiently studied in the long-term treatment of panic disorder, while TCAs may be considered as a second choice of treatment when patients do not seem to respond to or tolerate SSRIs. High-potency benzodiazepines have been shown to display a rapid onset of anti-anxiety effect, having beneficial effects during the first few days of treatment, and are therefore useful options for short-term treatment; however, these drugs are not first-choice medications in the medium and long term because of the frequent development of tolerance and dependence phenomena. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is the best studied non-pharmacological approach and can be applied to many patients, depending on its availability.

Clinical implications of DSM-IV subtyping of bipolar disorders in referred children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

According to DSM-IV, bipolar disorders (BDs) include four subtypes, BD I, BD II, cyclothymic disorder, and BD not otherwise specified (NOS). We explore the clinical implications of this subtyping in a naturalistic sample of referred youths with BD I, BD II, and BD-NOS.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 217 patients, 135 males and 82 females, ages between 8 and 18 years (mean age, 13.6 +/- 2.9 years), diagnosed according to historical information, prolonged observations, and a structured clinical interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version). The location of the study was the Stella Maris Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry of Pisa (Italy).

RESULTS

Seventy-eight patients (35.9%) had BD I, 97 (44.7%) had BD II, and 42 (19.4%) had BD-NOS. Patients with BD I presented more frequently psychotic symptoms and elated rather than irritable mood. Patients with BD II were less severely impaired, presented more frequently depression as the intake affective episode, and had the highest comorbidity with anxiety disorders. Patients with BD-NOS presented an earlier onset of the disorder, a chronic rather than episodic course, an irritable rather than an elated mood, and a more frequent comorbidity with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

DSM-IV categorization of BD may have meaningful implications in youths, but needs to be detailed further.

Clinical and research implications of panic-bipolar comorbidity in children and adolescents

A substantial portion of patients with juvenile bipolar disorder (BD) have a comorbid panic disorder (PD). The aim of our study was to analyze the cross-sectional and longitudinal implications of such comorbidity in children and adolescents with BD. The sample comprised 224 referred children and adolescents with BD, 140 males (62.5%) and 84 females (37.5%), mean age 13.8+/-2.8 years, diagnosed with a clinical interview (K-SADS-PL), and followed up naturalistically for 6 months. Fifty-one BD patients (22.8%) had a lifetime diagnosis of comorbid PD. Subjects with BD+PD and those without BD (BD-noPD) did not differ according to index age, age at onset of BD and bipolar phenotype (episodic vs. continuous course, irritable vs. elated mood). BD+PD was more frequent in females, was less severe at baseline according to the Clinical Global Impression severity score, and was more frequently associated with BD type 2. Moreover, BD+PD presented higher rates of comorbid anxiety disorders (namely separation anxiety disorder) and lower rates of externalizing disorders, namely attention deficit disorder (ADHD) than BD-noPD. However, this different pattern of externalizing comorbidity did not affect severity and improvement. Our findings suggest that PD is frequently comorbid in juvenile BD and can influence severity, pattern of comorbidity and course of BD. The data are compatible with the hypothesis that Panic-BD and ADHD-BD might represent distinct developmental pathways of bipolar disorder. Further research on this question may prove rewarding.

Bipolar co-morbidity in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: clinical and treatment implications

This paper reports on implications of bipolar disorder (BD) co-morbidity in 120 children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (84 males, 36 females, age 13.7 +/- 2.8 years), diagnosed using a clinical interview according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria, and naturalistically followed-up for 12 +/- 6 months. The aim of this naturalistic, retrospective study was to explore the effect of BD co-morbidity, disentangling it from other co-occurring variables, namely the co-morbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. Forty three patients (35.8%) had a bipolar co-morbidity. Compared with OCD patients without BD, they had an earlier onset of OCD, a greater severity and functional impairment, more frequent hoarding obsessions and compulsions, and a poorer response to treatments. They had a higher co-morbidity with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD), and a lower co-morbidity with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Finally, they received more mood stabilizers, and 30.2% of them did not receive serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) because of pharmacological (hypo)mania. When all the OCD responders and nonresponders were compared, nonresponders (n = 42, 35%) were more severe at baseline and at end of the follow-up, had more frequently hoarding obsessions and compulsions, and had more frequent BD, ODD, and conduct disorder (CD) and less GAD and panic disorder. In the final regression model, hoarding obsessions and compulsions, co-morbidity with ODD, and CD were negative predictors of treatment outcome. This study suggests that even though bipolar co-morbidity is frequent and affects phenomenology and co-morbidity in pediatric OCD, its effect on treatment response seems prevalently accounted for by co-morbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. The significance of the hoarding subtype deserves further research on larger samples of pediatric patients.

Is unipolar mania a distinct subtype?

BACKGROUND

Some recent reports raised the question whether unipolar mania, without severe or mild depression, really exists and whether it defines a distinct disorder. Literature on this topic is still scarce, although this was a matter of debate since several decades.

METHOD

Eighty-seven inpatients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Revised Third Edition, manic episode and at least 3 major affective episodes, in 10 years of illness duration, were systematically evaluated to collect demographic and clinical information. The symptomatological evaluation was conducted by means of the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale. Clinical features, social disability, first-degree family history, and temperaments were compared between unipolar and bipolar manics.

RESULTS

Nineteen (21.8%) of 87 patients presented a course of illness characterized by recurrent unipolar manic episodes without history of major or mild depression (MAN). When this group was compared with 68 (78.2%) manic patients with a previous history of depressive episodes (BIP), we found substantial similarities in most demographic, familial, and clinical characteristics. MAN group reported more congruent psychotic symptoms and more frequent chronic course of the current episode in comparison to BIP group. In the MAN patients, we also observed a high percentage of hyperthymic temperament and a complete absence of depressive temperament. This latter difference was statistically significant. MAN patients compared with BIP ones also reported lower severity scores in social, familial, and work disability, and they showed less depressive features, hostility, and anxiety.

CONCLUSION

The numerous demographic, clinical, and psychopathological overlapping characteristics in unipolar and bipolar mania raise questions about the general nosographic utility of this categorization. Nonetheless, our data suggest a clinical and prognostic validity of keeping unipolar manic patients as a separate subgroup, in particular, as social adjustment and disability are concerned.

Bipolar II and anxious reactive "comorbidity": toward better phenotypic characterization suitable for genotyping

OBJECTIVE

In DSM-IV, bipolar II (BP-II) disorder is defined by depression and hypomania. There is little appreciation of affective instability, often associated with anxiety-particularly panic disorder and agoraphobia (PDA)-comorbidity. This association has genetic-familial implications, which we believe must be incorporated in refining the BP-II phenotype suitable for genotyping purposes.

METHOD

We examined in a semi-structured format 107 consecutive patients who met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive episode with atypical features and separated them into two subgroups according to the co-occurring criteria for PDA. They were further evaluated on the basis of the Atypical Depression Diagnostic Scale (ADDS), the Hopkins Symptoms Check-list (HSCL 90), and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), coupled with its modified form for reverse vegetative features, as well as Axis I and II comorbidity and temperamental dispositions, particularly cyclothymic instability.

RESULTS

Fifty (46.7%) of our patients met the DSM-IV criteria for PDA. In terms of significant results, PDA+ was more frequently female, had higher number of hypomanic episodes, and stressors; they were also more often BP-II, and cyclothymic. Ratings of reactivity, somatization, OCD and phobic anxiety too were significantly higher among the PDA+. In related analyses, most AD (75.7%) met criteria for BP-II; the BP-II subgroup was characterized by PDA, as well as borderline personality features and cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperaments.

LIMITATIONS

Correlational clinical study in which clinicians could not be kept entirely blind to the variables under investigation.

CONCLUSIONS

In line with the description by the French psychiatrist Pierre Kahn a century earlier, cyclothymic reactivity and neurotic features (i.e., atypicality and panic attacks) appear relevant to the definition of what today we consider BP-II disorder. These data, which are in line with current familial-genetic models of this disorder, suggest that the DSM-IV characterization of BP-II must be enriched by greater emphasis on temperamentally based mood and anxious reactivity. Such phenotypic characterization is likely to assist in better genotyping. Previous work by us further suggests the relevance of bulimic and addictive tendencies, as well as "borderline personality" diagnosis in the proband and/or the family. We submit that these conditions, rather than being "comorbid," constitute, along with BP-II, a spectrum of overlapping underlying genetic diatheses.

Developmental differences according to age at onset in juvenile bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

This study on a large sample of unselected, consecutive children and adolescents referred to a third-level hospital who received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) was aimed at exploring whether childhood-onset BD, as compared with adolescent-onset BD, presents specific clinical features in terms of severity, functional impairment, course, prevalent mood, pattern of co-morbidity, and treatment outcome.

METHODS

A total of 136 patients, 81 males (59.6%) and 55 females (40.4%), mean age 13.5 +/- 2.9 years, meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of BD according to a structured clinical interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (KSADS-PL), were included in the study.

RESULTS

Eighty patients (58.8%) had a childhood-onset BD (before 12 years of age) and 56 (41.2%) had an adolescents-onset BD. Compared with the adolescent-onset BD, patients with childhood-onset were more frequently males and had a more frequent co-morbidity with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). An episodic course was found in only 42.5% of bipolar children, but 76.8% of youngsters with adolescent-onset BD. Severity, 6-month treatment outcome, prevalent mood (elated versus irritable), and co-morbid anxiety did not differentiate the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a very early age at onset may identify a form of BD with a more frequent subcontinuous course and a heavy co-morbidity with ADHD.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- bipolar comorbidity in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

A substantial portion of juvenile bipolar disorder (BD) has a comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of our study was to analyze the cross-sectional and longitudinal implications of such comorbidity in children and adolescents with BD.

METHODS

Ninety-eight refereed patients (mean age 13.7 +/- 3.0 years) with a diagnosis of BD by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL) were followed for 6 months.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven BD patients (37.8%) presented a lifetime diagnosis of comorbid ADHD. The mean age of onset of ADHD was 3.7 +/- 1.1 years, and the mean age of onset of BD was 10.0 +/- 3.2 years. Bipolar subjects with comorbid ADHD were predominantly male, younger, and had an earlier onset of BD (8.1 +/- 2.8 versus 11.1 +/- 2.9 years). Bipolar-ADHD patients presented more frequently a chronic rather than an episodic course of BD, with an irritable rather than an elated mood. They showed higher rates of oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder, lower rates of panic disorder, and less frequently received antidepressant medications. Finally, ADHD comorbidity was associated with a greater psychosocial impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

ADHD comorbidity is frequent in juvenile BD and can influence age of onset, phenomenology, comorbidity, and course of BD. A timely diagnosis should improve our efforts regarding the outcome of these subjects.

Bulimia nervosa in atypical depression: the mediating role of cyclothymic temperament

OBJECTIVE

Recent data indicate significant clinical, biological, and treatment response overlap between eating and bipolar disorders, especially when soft symptoms of either spectrum disorders are considered. The aim of the present analyses is to evaluate the lifetime prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) in patients with atypical depression (AD) and to delineate any demographic, clinical, personality or temperamental factors that may characterize this subgroup.

METHOD

We examined in a semi-structured format 107 consecutive patients who met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive episode with atypical features and we separated them into two groups according to the co-occurring criteria for BN. They were further evaluated on the basis of the Atypical Depression Diagnostic Scale (ADDS), the Hopkins Symptoms Check-list (HSCL 90), and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), coupled with its modified form for reverse vegetative features, as well as Axis I and II comorbidity and temperamental dispositions.

RESULTS

Seventeen (17.8%) percent of AD met the DSM-IV criteria for Bulimia Nervosa (BN+). These patients, compared with those who did not meet criteria for BN (BN-), were indistinguishable on all demographic and most psychopathologic and clinical features (including bipolar I and II), but were significantly higher in lifetime comorbidity for Narcissistic, Histrionic, Borderline and Dependent personality disorders as well as that for Cyclothymic temperament. BN+ also scored higher on the ADDS items of reactivity of mood and interpersonal sensitivity.

LIMITATIONS

Correlational clinical study in which doctors could not be entirely blind to the variables under investigation.

CONCLUSIONS

Cyclothymic temperament and related mood reactivity and interpersonal sensitivity may account for much of the relationship between AD and BN. Narcissistic, histrionic and borderline traits, too, seem to be related to the presence of a cyclothymic disposition. The data overall, in particular the cyclothymic reactivity in the absence of differences in BP-I and II, all support the hypothesis that places BN in the "ultra-soft" bipolar realm.

The clinical phenotypes of juvenile bipolar disorder: toward a validation of the episodic-chronic-distinction

BACKGROUND

Recent research has addressed the issue of subtyping juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD). Accordingly, we set out to find out, in a naturalistic sample of bipolar children and adolescents with mania and mixed mania, whether the most useful subtyping should be based on clinical features (elated vs. irritable) or course (episodic vs. chronic).

METHODS

We studied 136 patients, 81 male patients (59.6%) and 55 female patients (40.4%), mean age 13.5 +/- 2.9 years, meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder, assessed by a structured clinical interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version [K-SADS-PL]).

RESULTS

Regarding course, 77 patients (56.6%) had an episodic course and 59 patients (43.4%) had a chronic course. Patients with chronic course were significantly younger, had an earlier onset of JBD, and presented a more frequent comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. According to the prevalent mood disturbance, 75 patients (55.1%) showed an elated and 61 patients (44.9%) showed an irritable mood. Elated mood was more frequent in patients with episodic course, whereas irritable mood was more frequent in the patients with chronic course.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that chronic versus episodic course may be a putative differential feature. Further validation of such a distinction would require prospective studies, temperament evaluation, gender and neurobiologic approaches, and differential psychopharmacologic assignment and response.

Predictors of treatment nonresponse in bipolar children and adolescents with manic or mixed episodes

Even though juvenile bipolar disorder (BD) is reported to be more treatment-resistant than adult BD, predictors of nonresponse are not well studied. The aim of this study was to address this issue in a naturalistic sample of bipolar children and adolescents with manic or mixed episodes treated under the condition of routine clinical practice. This study was comprised of 40 patients (19 females and 21 males; mean age, 14.2 years; SD = 3.3; range, 7-18) with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of manic (n = 23) or mixed episodes (n = 17). The clinical characteristics of 20 patients considered to be treatment responders, according to the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores, were compared to those of the 20 nonresponders. The effect of predictors on the probability of treatment nonresponse was analyzed using the multiple stepwise logistic regression, backward procedure. Demographic variables (mean age, gender ratio, socioeconomic status), as well as the inpatients-outpatients ratio (75% versus 65%), duration of the follow-up (10.5 +/- 2.5 months versus 9.6 +/- 3.2 months), index episode (manic versus mixed), and rates of pharmacologic hypomania did not differentiate the 2 groups. According to stepwise logistic regression, predictors of nonresponse were the presence of comorbidity with conduct disorder (odd ratio, 3.36; 95% CI, 2.20-4.52), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (odd ratio, 2.30; CI, 1.24-3.26), and the baseline CGI Severity score (odd ratio, 2.31; CI, 1.33-3.29). It is relevant to point out that patient age at the onset of BD, and at the first visit, and comorbid anxiety disorders did not influence treatment response. Follow-up studies with a larger sample size with BD and/or externalizing disorders appropriately managed with different treatment options and/or combinations are warranted.

Spontaneous treatment discontinuation in panic disorder patients treated with antidepressants

OBJECTIVE

We examined the relationships between long-term treatment response, side-effects and drug discontinuation in panic disorder (PD)-agoraphobia.

METHOD

A total of 326 patients were naturalistically treated with antidepressants and followed for a period of 3 years. All patients were evaluated by means of the Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia Interview and the Longitudinal Interview Follow-up Examination (LIFE-UP).

RESULTS

A total of 179 patients interrupted pharmacological treatment. Among them, 26.8% were not traceable; 36.9% had deemed further contact with the psychiatrist unnecessary because of remission. Other reasons for interruption were: ineffectiveness (18.4%), side-effects (10.6%) and personal reasons (7.3%). Patients who interrupted pharmacological treatment because of symptom remission remained in the study for a longer period than those patients who interrupted their treatment because of inefficacy.

CONCLUSION

In the long-term treatment of PD with antidepressants, a high percentage of patients who have achieved symptom remission tend to default from further treatment; adherence to long-term treatment with antidepressants was predicted by severe and long-lasting symptomatology.

Obsessive-compulsive bipolar comorbidity: focus on children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence documents the frequent co-morbidity between Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Bipolar Disorder (BP) in adults. The aim of the present study is to explore some clinical aspects of this interface in children and adolescents, as it appears in a setting of routine clinical practice.

METHOD

The sample comprised 102 consecutively referred children and adolescents, both inpatients and outpatients, with BP, OCD or co-morbid BP-OCD during a 3-year period. The mean age was 14.2 (SD=3.2); 65 (63.7%) were males. Diagnoses and clinical features were collected by means of structured interview according to DSM-IV (DICA-R) and a rating scale for OCD (CY-BOCS). Clinical outcome was evaluated prospectively by means of clinical global impression (CGI) as part of routine clinical care, throughout the follow-up.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven (36.3%) patients (21 males and 16 females) were diagnosed as BP, 35 (34.3%) patients (26 males and 9 females) were diagnosed as OCD and 30 (29.4%) patients (18 males and 12 females) were diagnosed as BP-OCD. BP II, was more frequent in the BP-OCD than in BP. When OCD was co-morbid with BP, age of onset was significantly earlier than in the 'pure' OCD patients. On the contrary, age of onset of BP was not affected by co-morbid OCD. According to CGI baseline scores, OCD patients were significantly less impaired than BP-OCD and BP patients, while the severity of the symptomatology was similar in the last two groups. Severity scores at the end of the follow-up were significantly higher in BP-OCD patients than in OCD patients. Patients with pure BP showed lower rates of panic disorder-agoraphobia than BP-OCD patients and higher rates of ADHD-conduct disorder. Pure OCD patients showed lower rates of ADHD and higher rates of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The number of obsessions did not differentiate the two groups, whereas pure OCD patients showed significantly more compulsions. 'Other' obsessions-e.g., existential, philosophical, odd and/or superstitious-were significantly more frequent in BP-OCD than in pure OCD patients. Ordering compulsions were significantly more frequent in pure OCD patients.

LIMITATIONS

Possible low reliability of children's and their parents' recall of past episodes of mental disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

In a tertiary care center, co-morbidity between OCD and BP is a significant clinical problem affecting a large number of patients. The correct identification of OCD-bipolar co-morbidity has relevant clinical implications as far as other concomitant disorders, symptomatological features, course, complications, and treatment management and outcome are concerned.

Externalizing disorders in consecutively referred children and adolescents with bipolar disorder

We describe a consecutive clinical sample of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD), in order to define the pattern of comorbid externalizing disorders and to explore the possible influence of such a comorbidity on their cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical characteristics. The sample consisted of 59 bipolar patients: 35 males and 24 females, with a mean age 14.6 +/- 3 years (range, 7 to 18 years), diagnosed as either type I or II according to DSM-IV. All patients were screened for psychiatric disorders using historical information and a clinical interview, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised (DICA-R). Severity and subsequent outcome of the symptomatology were recorded with the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Severity and Improvement Scales, at the baseline and thereafter monthly for a period up to 48 months. BD disorder type I was present in 37 (62.7%) of the patients; 14 (23.7%) were affected by attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 10 (16.9%) by conduct disorder (CD). Comorbid ADHD was associated with an earlier onset of BD, while CD was highly associated with BD type I. Anxiety disorders appeared more represented in patients without CD. At the end of the observation, a lower clinical improvement was recorded in patients with CD. In our children and adolescents with BD, comorbidity with externalizing disorders such as ADHD and CD is common. The clinical implications of comorbid ADHD and CD are rather different. ADHD can be viewed as a precursor of a child-onset subtype of BD, while CD might represent a prodromal or a concomitant behavioral complication that identifies a more malignant and refractory form of BD.

Open-label evaluation of venlafaxine sustained release in outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder with comorbid major depression or dysthymia: effectiveness, tolerability and predictors of response

In a setting of routine clinical practice, 32 outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depression (MD) (n = 21) or dysthymia (n = 11), according to DSM-IV criteria, were consecutively treated with flexible dosages of sustained-release venlafaxine (SR-VF) for at least 8 weeks. In a 16-week follow-up, SR-VF daily dose could be modified on the basis of the therapeutic response and of the side effect profile. Symptomatological modifications were explored by means of the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A). SR-VF was well tolerated and only 2 patients interrupted the treatment before 24 weeks; the mean final dose +/- SD was 135.5 +/- 71.8 mg (range 75-225); in 26 (81.2%) patients, a statistically significant response was observed in depressive symptomatology within the first 8 weeks. The mean total score of HAM-D showed a significant reduction during the first 8 weeks of treatment, while the mean total score of HAM-A did not present a significant reduction until week 24. In patients with MD, a statistically significant response was observed after the first 8 weeks, while the reduction of the anxiety scores required more time and, in some cases, did not appear at all. Conversely, in patients with GAD and dysthymia, anxious and depressive symptomatology improved simultaneously. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the improvement of depression is negatively related to a high score of CGI anxiety severity, and the improvement of anxiety is related to the presence of dysthymia and, to a lesser extent, to a short duration of the illness. Our data confirm the effectiveness and tolerability of SR-VF in mixed anxiety-depressive states. The differential response suggests a pathophysiologic and clinical distinction between GAD with comorbid MD or dysthymia.

The role of cyclothymia in atypical depression: toward a data-based reconceptualization of the borderline-bipolar II connection

OBJECTIVE

Recent data, including our own, indicate significant overlap between atypical depression and bipolar II. Furthermore, the affective fluctuations of patients with these disorders are difficult to separate, on clinical grounds, from cyclothymic temperamental and borderline personality disorders. The present analyses are part of an ongoing Pisa-San Diego investigation to examine whether interpersonal sensitivity, mood reactivity and cyclothymic mood swings constitute a common diathesis underlying the atypical depression-bipolar II-borderline personality constructs.

METHOD

We examined in a semi-structured format 107 consecutive patients who met criteria for major depressive episode with DSM-IV atypical features. Patients were further evaluated on the basis of the Atypical Depression Diagnostic Scale (ADDS), the Hopkins Symptoms Check-list (HSCL-90), and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), coupled with its modified form for reverse vegetative features as well as Axis I and SCID-II evaluated Axis II comorbidity, and cyclothymic dispositions ('APA Review', American Psychiatric Press, Washington DC, 1992).

RESULTS

Seventy-eight percent of atypical depressives met criteria for bipolar spectrum-principally bipolar II-disorder. Forty-five patients who met the criteria for cyclothymic temperament, compared with the 62 who did not, were indistinguishable on demographic, familial and clinical features, but were significantly higher in lifetime comorbidity for panic disorder with agoraphobia, alcohol abuse, bulimia nervosa, as well as borderline and dependent personality disorders. Cyclothymic atypical depressives also scored higher on the ADDS items of maximum reactivity of mood, interpersonal sensitivity, functional impairment, avoidance of relationships, other rejection avoidance, and on the interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism of the HSCL-90 factors. The total number of cyclothymic traits was significantly correlated with 'maximum' reactivity of mood and interpersonal sensitivity. A significant correlation was also found between interpersonal sensitivity and 'usual' and 'maximum' reactivity of mood.

LIMITATION

Correlational study.

CONCLUSIONS

Mood lability and interpersonal sensitivity traits appear to be related by a cyclothymic temperamental diathesis which, in turn, appears to underlie the complex pattern of anxiety, mood and impulsive disorders which atypical depressive, bipolar II and borderline patients display clinically. We submit that conceptualizing these constructs as being related will make patients in this realm more accessible to pharmacological and psychological interventions geared to their common temperamental attributes. More generally, we submit that the construct of borderline personality disorder is better covered by more conventional diagnostic entities.

Obsessive-compulsive-bipolar comorbidity: a systematic exploration of clinical features and treatment outcome

BACKGROUND

Notwithstanding the emerging literature on comorbidity between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar disorder, relatively few systematic data exist on the clinical characteristics of this interface and its treatment. The aim of the present study is to address this challenge as it appears in a setting of routine clinical practice.

METHOD

The sample comprised 68 patients with comorbid DSM-IV diagnoses of OCD and major depressive episode admitted and treated at the day-hospital in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) during a 3-year period (January 1995-December 1998). Thirty-eight patients (55.8%) showed lifetime comorbid bipolar disorder (12 [31.6%] bipolar I and 26 [68.4%] bipolar II). Diagnoses and clinical features were collected by means of structured (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV) and semistructured interviews (OCD-Interview). Assessments of drug treatments, clinical outcome, and adverse effects were made prospectively as part of routine clinical care throughout the course of their day-hospitalization.

RESULTS

In contrast with non-bipolar OCD patients, OCD-bipolar patients showed a more episodic course with a greater number of concurrent major depressive episodes. They reported a significantly higher rate of sexual obsessions and significantly lower rate of ordering rituals. Furthermore, they reported more frequent current comorbidity with panic disorder-agoraphobia and abuse of different substances (alcohol, sedatives, nicotine, and coffee). Drug treatment with clomipramine and, to a lesser extent, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was associated with hypomanic switches in OCD-bipolar patients, especially in those not concomitantly treated with mood stabilizers. A combination of multiple mood stabilizers was necessary in 16 OCD-bipolar patients (42.1%) and a combination of mood stabilizers with atypical antipsychotics was required in 4 cases (10.5%). OCD-bipolar patients tended to show a less positive outcome for mood symptomatology and general functioning. Three patients required hospitalization for severe mixed episode.

CONCLUSION

In a tertiary care center, comorbidity between OCD and bipolar disorder is a significant clinical problem affecting a large number of patients and has a substantial impact on the clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of both disorders.

Effectiveness of adjunctive gabapentin in resistant bipolar disorder: is it due to anxious-alcohol abuse comorbidity?

We evaluated effectiveness and predictors of response of gabapentin (GBP) as adjunctive treatment in a sample of 43 subjects with DSM-III-R bipolar disorder who were resistant to standard mood stabilizers. Diagnostic evaluation was performed by means of the Semistructured Interview for Mood Disorder. Clinical evaluation was performed at the beginning and end of the observation period by means of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale. GBP was administered as an adjunctive treatment for an 8-week period in combination with other mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and neuroleptics. Mean dosage +/- SD at week 8 was 1270 +/- 561.4 mg (range, 600-2400 mg). Adjunctive treatment with GBP was well tolerated by almost all the subjects; only three patients had to interrupt treatment before week 8, two because of inefficacy and one because of the appearance of side effects (ataxia and irritability); in other patients, the most frequent side effects were sedation, irritability, tremor, ataxia or motor instability, and nausea. Eighteen (41.9%) of 43 patients who began treatment were considered responders. Mean total HAM-D score showed a significant reduction during the 8 weeks of treatment. Analysis of the various HAM-D dimensions showed that the anxiety-somatization factor was the one with the greatest change. Seventeen of the 18 responder patients remained in remission for a period ranging from 4 to 12 months without clinically significant side effects or adverse events. One patient had to interrupt GBP treatment and be administered neuroleptics because of the reappearance of manic symptoms. Regarding response predictors, logistical regression analysis showed that the presence of panic disorder and alcohol abuse was associated with positive response. The results of the present study replicate prior studies indicating that GBP is an effective and well tolerated treatment in a large proportion of bipolar patients who are resistant to traditional mood stabilizers. More specifically, this drug appears to have antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. What is new in the present report is the suggestion that the utility of GBP in resistant bipolar disorder resides in its effectiveness against comorbid panic disorder and alcohol abuse.

Paroxetine in child and adolescent outpatients with panic disorder

Paroxetine has repeatedly been shown to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder (PD) in adults, and, according to previous case observations, it may be useful in treating children and adolescents with PD as well. This preliminary naturalistic study examines effectiveness and safety of paroxetine in the treatment of children and adolescents with PD. A chart review was conducted on 18 patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders PD admitted to the Division of Child Neurology and Psychiatry and to the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pisa. Paroxetine was given at an initial mean dosage of 8.9 +/- 2.1 mg/day and was gradually increased up to 40 mg/day, depending on clinical response and side effects. Clinical status was assessed with the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and adverse effects were assessed retrospectively at each visit. Patients with final CGI-Improvement scores of 1 or 2 were considered responders. Mean paroxetine treatment duration was 11.7 +/- 8.3 months, with a mean final dosage of 23.9 +/- 9.8 mg/day (range, 10-40 mg/day). No patient had to interrupt the treatment because of side effects. Fifteen patients (83.3%) were considered responders. The mean change on the CGI-Severity scale was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Paroxetine was well tolerated and effective in the treatment of PD in these children and adolescents.

Clinical characterization of depressive mixed state in bipolar-I patients: Pisa-San Diego collaboration

BACKGROUND

Although mixed states were classically described as various concomitant admixtures of depression and mania, the official current definitions in both DSM-IV and ICD-10 tend to restrict the concept to manic patients with full syndromal depression. Recent research has actually shown that mania with few depressive symptoms constitutes the most prevalent clinical presentation of mixed or dysphoric mania. Major depressive patients with few concomitant manic symptoms are not officially recognized within the current nosology. In this paper we attempt to delineate the clinical profile of such depressive mixed states in the context of bipolar I disorder.

METHODS

In the Pisa day center, we studied 195 bipolar I patients who either met Pisa criteria for bipolar mixed state (n=159) or DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive episode (bipolar major depression or B-MD, n=36). Of the 159 patients identified by Pisa criteria as mixed state, 86 also met the criteria of the DSM-III-R for mixed episode (core mixed state or MS group), while 32 met the DSM III-R criteria for major depressive episode (provisionally defined as depressive mixed states, D-MS); the remaining patients (n=41, 25.7%) with predominatly manic picture were not included in the present comparisons.

RESULTS

The three groups (B-MD, MS and D-MS) had close similarities in clinical and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, sex distribution, marital status, schooling, residence, age at onset, age of first treatment, age of first hospitalization, degree of chronicity of the index episode, stressor within the 6 months before the index episode, lifetime suicide attempts and premorbid temperament. First degree family history for bipolar illness and that for other mental disorders was also similar, except for major depression that was more common among the relatives of D-MS. MS and D-MS were further distinguished from B-MD by the fact that the latter followed a more 'cyclic' course with shorter yet greater number of episodes, and which began with a pure depressive episode; by contrast, MS and D-MS had fewer episodes of longer duration, less interepisodic remission, and tended to begin with a mixed episode. Incongruous psychotic features were more common in the two mixed groups compared to B-MD, and the most common features of the D-MS group were agitation, psychotic depression with irritable mood, pressured speech and/or flight of ideas.

LIMITATION

It was not feasible to collect information blind to clinical status in patients with severe psychotic mood states.

CONCLUSION

These data confirm the existence of psychotic agitated depressive mixed states with flight of ideas, distinct from cyclic retarded pure bipolar depressive states. The recognition of these affective states is clinically important to protect patients from the potentially harmful indiscriminate use of antidepressants and to provide them with the benefits of an anticonvulsant, a short-term neuroleptic, or ECT.

The temporal relationship between anxiety disorders and (hypo)mania: a retrospective examination of 63 panic, social phobic and obsessive-compulsive patients with comorbid bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

The relationship between anxiety and depressive disorders has been conventionally limited to unipolar depression. Recent studies from both clinical and epidemiologic samples have revealed intriguing associations between anxiety and bipolar (mainly bipolar II) disorders. The present report examines the temporal sequence of hypomania to panic (PD), obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and social phobic (SP) disorders.

METHODS

Specialty-trained clinicians retrospectively evaluated the foregoing relationships in 63 patients meeting the DSM-III-R diagnosis for PD, OCD and SP with lifetime comorbidity with bipolar disorders (87% bipolar II). Structured interviews were used.

RESULTS

In nearly all cases, SP chronologically preceded hypomanic episodes and disappeared when the latter episodes supervened. By contrast, PD and OCD symptomatology, even when preceding hypomanic episodes, often persisted during such episodes; more provocatively, nearly a third of all onsets of panic attacks were during hypomania.

LIMITATIONS

Assessing temporal relationships between hypomania and specific anxiety disorders on a retrospective basis is, at best, of unknown reliability. The related difficulty of ascertaining the extent to which past antidepressant treatment of anxiety disorders could explain the anxiety-bipolar II comorbidity represents another major limitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Different temporal relationships characterized the occurrence of hypomania in individual anxiety disorder subtypes. Some anxiety disorders (notably SP, and to some extent OCD) seem to lie on a broad affective continuum of inhibitory restraint vs. disinhibited hypomania. By contrast, and more tentatively, PD in the context of bipolar disorder, might be a reflection of a dysphoric manic or mixed hypomanic symptomatology. The foregoing suggestions do not even begin to exhaust the realm of possibilities. The pattern of complex relationships among these disorders would certainly require better designed prospective observations.

Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder: a neglected comorbidity

OBJECTIVE

We describe a consecutive clinical sample of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder to define the pattern of comorbid anxiety and externalizing disorders (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and conduct disorder [CD]) and to explore the possible influence of such a comorbidity on their cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical characteristics.

METHODS

The sample comprised 43 outpatients, 26 boys and 17 girls, (mean age 14.9 years, SD 3.1; range 7 to 18), with bipolar disorder type I or II, according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. All patients were screened for psychiatric disorders using historical information and a clinical interview, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised (DICA-R). To shed light on the possible influence of age at onset, we compared clinical features of subjects whose bipolar onset was prepubertal or in childhood (< 12 years) with those having adolescent onset. We also compared different subgroups with and without comorbid externalizing and anxiety disorders.

RESULTS

Bipolar disorder type I was slightly more represented than type II (55.8% vs 44.2%). Only 11.6% of patients did not have any other psychiatric disorder; importantly, 10 subjects (23.5%) did not show any comorbid anxiety disorder. Comorbid externalizing disorders were present in 12 (27.9%) patients; such comorbidity was related to the childhood onset of bipolar disorder type II. Compared with other subjects, patients with comorbid anxiety disorders more often reported pharmacologic (hypo)mania.

Putative clinical subtypes of social phobia: a factor-analytical study

OBJECTIVE

To examine symptomatological subtypes of social phobia (SP) and their relationships with a number of feared situations and avoidant personality disorder (APD).

METHOD

In 153 out-patients with SP according to DSM-III-R criteria, clinical subtypes were investigated by means of principal component factor analysis of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). We compared the various SP subtypes on the basis of the highest Z-scores obtained on each LSAS factor.

RESULTS

Five factors (interpersonal anxiety, formal speaking anxiety, stranger-authority anxiety, eating and drinking while being observed, anxiety of doing something while being observed) emerged, accounting for 64.7% of the total variance. When the dominant LSAS factor groups were compared, the highest values in the numbers of feared situations and the presence of APD were observed in the "interpersonal anxiety" dominant group and the lowest in the "anxiety of doing something while being observed". The "interpersonal anxiety" dominant group was the most likely to present a positive family history for SP and a lifetime comorbidity with mood disorders.

CONCLUSION

The emerging multidimensional structure of phobia is congruent with, and further enriches, the existing literature.