Bipolar I Patients (bipolar + i_patient)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study With Quetiapine as Adjunct Therapy With Lithium or Divalproex in Bipolar I Patients With Coexisting Alcohol Dependence

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2010
Mary Stedman
Background:, This study evaluated the efficacy of quetiapine versus placebo as an adjunct to lithium or divalproex in reducing alcohol consumption in patients with bipolar I disorder and coexisting alcohol dependence. Methods:, Male and female outpatients (21 to 60 years) with a history of bipolar I disorder and alcohol dependence were included in this 12-week, placebo-controlled study. Patients treated with lithium or divalproex (ongoing or assigned at screening) were randomized to receive quetiapine (dosed up to 400 mg/d over 7 days, followed by 300 to 800 mg/d flexible dosing until study end) or placebo. The primary outcome measure was the change in the proportion of heavy drinking days from baseline to Week 12 (as derived from the Timeline Followback method). Secondary outcome measures included time to the first consecutive 2 weeks of abstinence, changes from baseline to Week 12 in the proportion of nondrinking days, mean number of standardized drinks per day, and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness score. Results:, Of 362 enrolled patients (mean 38.6 years), 176 were randomized to receive quetiapine and 186 to placebo. The mean proportion of heavy drinking days at baseline was 0.66 in the quetiapine group and 0.67 in the placebo group. At Week 12, the mean change in the proportion of heavy drinking days was ,0.36 with quetiapine and ,0.36 with placebo (p = 0.93). No statistically significant differences in any of the secondary outcome measures were noted between the quetiapine and placebo groups. The incidence of adverse events was consistent with the previously known tolerability profile of quetiapine. Conclusions:, The efficacy of quetiapine in the treatment of bipolar disorder is already well established. In this study, however, quetiapine added to lithium or divalproex did not result in significantly greater improvement compared with placebo in measures of alcohol use and dependence in patients with bipolar I disorder and alcohol dependence. [source]


Preliminary results of a fine-grain analysis of mood swings and treatment modalities of bipolar I and II patients using the daily prospective life-chart-methodology

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2009
C. Born
Objective:, The study aimed to increase the knowledge about the detailed course differences between different forms of bipolar disorder. Method:, Using the prospective life-chart-clinician version, we compared the fine-grain analysis of mood swings and treatment modalities of 18 bipolar II with 31 bipolar I patients. Results:, During an observational period of a mean of 26 months we observed an increase of euthymic days, and a decrease of (sub)depressive and (hypo)manic days. Days in a (sub)depressed state were more frequent than days of (hypo)mania as well as days of subdepression or hypomania in comparison to days of full-blown depression or mania. Bipolar II patients showed an increase in hypomanic days receiving more frequently antidepressants. Bipolar I patients, with a decrease of manic days, were significantly taking more often mood stabilizers. Conclusion:, Treatment in a specialized bipolar clinic improves the overall outcome, but bipolar II disorder seems to be still treated sub-optimally with a possible iatrogenic increase of hypomanic days. [source]


Neurocognitive profiles in bipolar I and bipolar II disorder: differences in pattern and magnitude of dysfunction

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 2 2008
Carmen Simonsen
Objectives:, Studies on neurocognitive functioning in bipolar disorder, reporting deficits in memory, attention, and executive functioning, have primarily focused on bipolar I disorder. The aim of this study was to examine whether patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder have different neurocognitive profiles. Methods:, Forty-two patients with bipolar I disorder, 31 patients with bipolar II and 124 healthy controls, from a large ongoing study on psychotic disorders, were included. Neurocognitive function was measured with a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Results:, The bipolar I group performed significantly poorer than the healthy control group and the bipolar II group on all measures of memory. Compared with the control group, the bipolar I group also had significantly reduced performance on most measures of attention and executive functioning, while the bipolar II group only had a significantly reduced performance on a subset of these measures. On average, 24% of the bipolar I group had clinically significant cognitive impairment (,1.5 SD below the control group mean) across measures, compared with 13% of the bipolar II group. Conclusions:, Patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder in this study have different neurocognitive profiles. Bipolar I patients have more widespread cognitive dysfunction both in pattern and magnitude, and a higher proportion has clinically significant cognitive impairments compared with patients with bipolar II. This may suggest neurobiological differences between the two bipolar subgroups. [source]


The neurocognitive performance of drug-free and medicated euthymic bipolar patients do not differ

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2009
U. Goswami
Objective:, Although it is established that euthymic bipolar patients have neurocognitive deficits, the influence of medication on their cognitive performance is uncertain and requires investigation. Method:, Neuropsychological tests of executive function, memory and attention were performed on 44 prospectively verified, euthymic bipolar I patients, 22 of whom were drug-free. Residual mood symptom effects were controlled statistically using ancova. Results:, Drug-free and medicated patients differed only in delayed verbal recall (Rey AVLT list A7, drug-free > medicated), and perseverations during the five-point test (drug-free > medicated). When residual mood symptoms were controlled statistically, differences between drug-free and medicated subjects became insignificant. Medication effect sizes were modest. Significant correlations were found between residual depression scores and measures of verbal learning. Conclusion:, Medications did not have any significant influence on neurocognitive performance, suggesting that neurocognitive deficits are an integral part of bipolar disorder. [source]


Preliminary results of a fine-grain analysis of mood swings and treatment modalities of bipolar I and II patients using the daily prospective life-chart-methodology

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2009
C. Born
Objective:, The study aimed to increase the knowledge about the detailed course differences between different forms of bipolar disorder. Method:, Using the prospective life-chart-clinician version, we compared the fine-grain analysis of mood swings and treatment modalities of 18 bipolar II with 31 bipolar I patients. Results:, During an observational period of a mean of 26 months we observed an increase of euthymic days, and a decrease of (sub)depressive and (hypo)manic days. Days in a (sub)depressed state were more frequent than days of (hypo)mania as well as days of subdepression or hypomania in comparison to days of full-blown depression or mania. Bipolar II patients showed an increase in hypomanic days receiving more frequently antidepressants. Bipolar I patients, with a decrease of manic days, were significantly taking more often mood stabilizers. Conclusion:, Treatment in a specialized bipolar clinic improves the overall outcome, but bipolar II disorder seems to be still treated sub-optimally with a possible iatrogenic increase of hypomanic days. [source]


Psychoeducation in bipolar patients with comorbid personality disorders

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 4 2004
Francesc Colom
Background:, The co-occurrence of personality and bipolar disorders is quite common. Bipolar patients with personality disorders have been described as having poorer outcome than ,pure' bipolar patients. However, from a combined-approach point of view, a little has been done to improve the course of these patients. Psychoeducation has shown its efficacy in the prevention of relapses in the bipolar population but, to date, no data is available on its efficacy in the management of bipolar patients with personality disorders. Method:, The present study shows a subanalysis from a single-blind randomized prospective clinical trial on the efficacy of group psychoeducation in bipolar I patients. Bipolar patients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for any personality disorder were randomized to either psychoeducational treatment or a non-structured intervention. There were 22 patients in the control group and 15 in the psychoeducation group. All patients received naturalistic pharmacological treatment as well. The follow-up phase comprised 2 years where all patients continued receiving naturalistic treatment without psychological intervention and were assessed monthly for several outcome measures. Results:, At the end of the follow-up phase (2 years), a 100% of control group patients fulfilled criteria for recurrence versus a 67% in the psychoeducation group (p < 0.005). Patients included in the psychoeducation group had a higher time-to-relapse and a significantly lower mean number of total, manic and depressive relapses. No significant differences regarding the number of patients who required hospitalization were found but the mean duration of days spent in the hospitalization room was significantly higher for the patients included in the control group. Conclusion:, Psychoeducation may be a useful intervention for bipolar patients with comorbid personality disorders. Further studies should address the efficacy of specifically tailored interventions for this common type of patients. [source]


Impact of axis II comorbidity on the course of bipolar illness in men: a retrospective chart review

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 4 2002
Joanne H Kay
Objectives: ,The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of comorbid personality disorder influences the course of bipolar illness. Methods: ,Fifty-two euthymic male bipolar I out-patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID II). Bipolar patients with an axis II diagnosis were compared with those without an axis II diagnosis on retrospectively obtained demographic, clinical and course of illness variables. Results: ,Thirty-eight percent of the bipolar patients met criteria for an axis II diagnosis. Two (4%) met criteria for (only) a Cluster A disorder, four (8%) for (only) a Cluster B, and six (12%) for (only) a Cluster C disorder. One (2%) bipolar patient met criteria a disorder in both Clusters A and B, and one (2%) for a disorder in Clusters B and C. Five (10%) met criteria for at least one disorder in Clusters A and C, and one met criteria for disorders in Clusters A, B, and C. The presence of a personality disorder was significantly associated with a lower rate of current employment, a higher number of currently prescribed psychiatric medications, and a higher incidence of a history of both alcohol and substance use disorders compared with the bipolar patients without axis II pathology. Conclusions: ,Our results extend previous findings of an association between comorbid personality disorder in bipolar I patients and factors that suggest a more difficult course of bipolar illness. [source]


Abnormal dose-response melatonin suppression by light in bipolar type I patients compared with healthy adult subjects

ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 5 2009
Karen T. Hallam
Objective: Among potential endophenotypes proposed for bipolar affective disorder focusing on circadian abnormalities associated with the illness has particularly high face validity. Melatonin sensitivity to light is one circadian endophenotype proposed as useful in bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate melatonin sensitivity to light over a range of light intensities in order to compare and contrast responses in bipolar I patients with those of healthy adult volunteers. Methods: The study included seven patients (4 females, 3 males) with bipolar I disorder and 34 control participants (22 females, 12 males) with no personal or family history of affective illness. Melatonin sensitivity to light was determined in all patients and participants across a range of light intensities (0, 200, 500 and 1000 lux). Results: The results indicated that patients showed melatonin super-sensitivity to light in comparison with controls, a response that was consistent across the entire light intensity range investigated. Conclusion: The study provides further evidence for a super sensitive response in bipolar I patients and suggests that its potential usefulness as an endophenotypic marker of the illness is deserving of further research. [source]


Safety, tolerability and efficacy of a rapid dose escalation of quetiapine in bipolar I mania: the FATIMA study

ACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 3 2009
Eric Constant
Objective: The FATIMA study (FAst TItration of quetiapine fumarate in bipolar I MAnia) evaluated the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a rapid dose escalation of quetiapine in acutely ill bipolar I patients experiencing a manic episode. Methods: In an open-label, phase II pilot study, 29 patients aged 18 years or older, hospitalised with a bipolar I manic episode, received quetiapine twice daily for 21 days. Quetiapine was administered at 200, 400, 600, then 800 mg/day on the first 4 days, with flexible dosing (400,800 mg/day) subsequently. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patient dropouts because of adverse drug reactions during the first 7 days. Secondary safety assessments included incidences of adverse drug reactions and significant changes in vital signs. Efficacy assessments included Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impressions Severity of Illness (CGI-S) score changes from day 1 to day 21. Results: Twenty patients (69%) completed the study. No patients withdrew as a result of drug-related adverse events (AEs) during the first 7 days. Twenty-three patients reported 58 adverse events, and most of the adverse events were mild or moderate. No clinically relevant abnormalities in vital signs were reported. Mean YMRS and CGI-S scores decreased significantly from baseline to day 21 (p < 0.001). Response and remission rates were 78 and 70%, respectively, at the end of the study. Conclusion: Rapid dose escalation of quetiapine to 800 mg/day over 4 days was well tolerated and effective in reducing symptoms within 5 days in acutely ill bipolar I patients with a manic episode. [source]