A first episode of mania after age 80.

The case of a patient whose first episode of mania (DSM-III-R diagnosis) occurred after age 80 is presented; the patient had no previous psychiatric illness. Diagnostic and therapeutic issues are discussed with special regard to features of mania in old age, secondary mania (organic mood syndrome), pseudodementia, MHPG excretion and carbamazepine treatment.     

Recovering from first episode psychotic mania: The experience of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder

Aim

Early intervention for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder is a priority, but little is known about how recovery from first episode psychotic mania is experienced by this group. This study aimed to explore the experience of recovery from first episode psychotic mania for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 young adults during recovery from first episode psychotic mania and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Results

Three themes were identified: (i) ‘Possession of purpose and staying well’, (ii) ‘Coping with compromise’ and (iii) ‘Manic relapse: pressure and proving self’. On becoming well, the participants experienced a sense of purpose through engaging with activities and goals that also drove their efforts to engage in strategies to stay well. However, these strategies created feelings of compromise that not all were prepared to accept. Though having purpose and goals created a positive sense of direction, for a minority of the participants they also created additional pressure, contributing to manic relapse.

Conclusions

The purpose created by engaging with aspirations and career-related activities during early intervention was found to be important for a meaningful recovery from first episode bipolar disorder. This instilled positivity and purpose, motivating efforts to maintain wellness. The feelings of compromise that some participants experienced point to the need for individually tailored interventions. Findings suggest a delicate relationship between the positivity of engaging in goals and the risk of manic relapse during recovery from first episode psychotic mania.     

SARS-CoV-2-associated first episode of acute mania with psychotic features

Despite neuropsychiatric outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection are now under close scrutiny, psychoneuroimmunological characteristics of COVID-19 and precise pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric manifestations of the infection are still obscure. Moreover, there still exists a shortfall in demonstrating specific clinical manifestations of the brain involvement of the virus. Here, we presented a 33-year-old female patient with COVID-19, reporting acute-onset paranoid delusions symptoms, insomnia and irritability. Cranial MRI showed an hyperintense signal in the splenium of the corpus callosum with decreased apparent diffusion coefficient, which might possibly indicate the presence of cytotoxic edema related to the brain involvement of the infection. Following the completion of SARS-CoV-2 treatment, both cytotoxic edema and psychiatric symptoms resolved. In light of this report, we suggest that either heightened immune response and direct viral infection that SARS-CoV-2 may lead to such psychiatric manifestations and neuropsychiatric monitoring should be performed in patients with COVID-19. Prompt recognition of psychiatric consequences of COVID-19 may help clinicians provide guidance for differential diagnosis and manage them accordingly.     

Evidence of white matter pathology in bipolar disorder adolescents experiencing their first episode of mania: a diffusion tensor imaging study

OBJECTIVE: Previous diffusion tensor imaging findings have supported suggestions that bipolar disorder is characterized by subtle white matter changes. The chronic nature of the study population, however, has limited interpretation of these findings. In this study the authors utilized diffusion tensor imaging to study white matter tracts of adolescents in their first episode of mania to address whether abnormalities are present in early bipolar disorder. METHOD: Eleven medication-naive adolescents in their first episode of mania and 17 healthy subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. Fractional anisotropy and trace apparent diffusion coefficients of prefrontal and posterior regions of interest were compared between groups. RESULTS: Bipolar adolescents showed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy only in superior-frontal white matter tracts. Trace apparent diffusion coefficients did not significantly differ in any regions examined. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that prefrontal white matter abnormalities are present early in bipolar disorder and may consist largely of axonal disorganization. The presence of changes in young first-episode patients also suggests that white matter pathology may represent an early marker of bipolar disorder.     

初发抑郁症患者丘脑质子磁共振波谱分析

目的探讨未用药首发抑郁症患者丘脑的脑代谢有无异常。方法利用质子磁共振波谱分析技术(1H-MRS)检测20例未用药首发抑郁症患者和20名健康志愿者丘脑的多个代谢指标,包括乙酰天门冬氨酸盐(NAA)、谷氨酰胺和谷氨酸复合物(Glx)、胆碱复合物(Cho)、肌酸-磷酸肌酸复合物(Cr)等。结果与对照组相比,患者组双侧丘脑NAA/Cr下降,但只有右侧的差异有统计学意义(t=2.923,P<0.05);两组间各代谢值、Cho/Cr和Glx/Cr的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);轻度抑郁组和重度抑郁组间比较,各代谢值的差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论初发抑郁症患者右侧丘脑可能存在神经元受损和线粒体代谢障碍。     

Hippocampal changes in patients with a first episode of major depression

OBJECTIVE: Previous work suggests that patients with unipolar depression may have structural as well as functional abnormalities in limbic-thalamic-cortical networks, which are hypothesized to modulate human mood states. A core area in these networks is the hippocampus. In the present study, differences in volumes of hippocampal gray and white matter between patients with a first episode of major depression and healthy comparison subjects were examined. METHOD: Thirty patients with a first episode of major depression and 30 healthy comparison subjects who were matched for age, gender, handedness, and education were examined with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Male patients with a first episode of major depression had significantly smaller hippocampal total and gray matter volumes than healthy male comparison subjects. Both male and female patients showed significant alterations of left-right asymmetry and significant reductions of left and right hippocampal white matter fibers in relation to healthy comparison subjects. Hippocampal measurements were not significantly correlated with clinical variables, such as age at onset of illness, illness duration, or severity of depression. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with findings of structural abnormalities of the hippocampal formation in patients with major depression that were more pronounced in male patients. The authors' findings support the hypothesis that the hippocampus and its connections within limbic-cortical networks may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of major depression.     

Prediction of first episode of clinical depression in patients newly admitted to a medical long-term care facility: Findings from a prospective study

A cohort of 104 patients newly admitted to a medical long-term care facility was studied over 1 year for evolution of depression. Seven variables that were associated with level of depression were used in discriminant function analyses. Results showed that the variables had about 90% accuracy in predicting depressed versus non-depressed groups with good sensitivity and specificity. The variables measured: coping with admission; life satisfaction at admission; affective and non-affective symptoms at admission; clinical health status after admission; friends in hospital after admission; and changes in affective symptoms after admission before the onset of depression.     

度洛西汀与文拉法辛对首发抑郁症疗效的对照研究

目的观察固定剂量度洛西汀与文拉法辛对首发抑郁症患者的疗效和安全性。方法73例首发抑郁症患者随机分为度洛西汀组（36例）和文拉法辛组（37例），治疗剂量分别为60mg／d和150mg／d，观察8周。用汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAMD17）和蒙哥马利抑郁量表（MADRS）评定疗效，不良反应量表（TESS）评定不良反应和安全性。结果度洛西汀组31例和文拉法辛组30例完成8周的观察。至第8周末两组的有效率和临床痊愈率分别为77．4％（24／31）、83．3％（25／30）和48．4％（15／31）、53．3％（16／30），差异无统计学意义。治疗第1周末，文拉法辛组起效率（80．0％）高于度洛西汀组（41．9％）。度洛西汀组主要不良反应为食欲减退、恶心、心动过速、头痛、震颤、口干和便秘，与文拉法辛组相似。结论度洛西汀对首发抑郁症患者安全有效，与文拉法辛相似。     

Hippocampal volume in first episode and recurrent depression

Abnormalities in limbic–thalamic–cortical networks are hypothesized to modulate human mood states. In the present study differences in hippocampal volumes of patients with a first episode of depression, recurrent major depression and healthy control subjects were examined with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Male patients with a first episode of major depression had a significantly smaller left hippocampal volume than male control subjects. Also, these patients had a significant left–right asymmetry in hippocampal volume. Female patients showed no significant alterations in hippocampal volumes. The results support the hypothesis that the hippocampus plays an important role in the pathophysiology of the early phase of major depression, especially for male patients. Implications for the neurodevelopmental and the neurodegenerative model of hippocampal change are discussed.     

Rate of switch from depression into mania after therapeutic sleep deprivation in bipolar depression.

Sleep deprivation is a potentially useful non-pharmacological treatment for depression. A relationship between sleep loss and the onset of mania has been reported, so it is possible that a switch from depression into mania after sleep deprivation might be expected in bipolar depressed patients who are treated with sleep deprivation. In a sample of 206 bipolar depressed treated with three cycles of sleep deprivation, alone or in combination with heterogeneous medications, we observed a 4.85% switch rate into mania and a 5.83% switch rate into hypomania. These percentages are comparable to those observed with antidepressant drug treatments.     

Relapse into mania or depression following lithium discontinuation: a 7-year follow-up

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess whether outcome followed a worse course after acute lithium withdrawal. METHOD: Data were acquired by review of the clinical records on 14 cases and 28 controls matched for age, gender and time on lithium for about 7 years following discontinuation. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between cases and controls. Cases experienced more episodes of depression and total affective relapse. The log-rank test revealed a significantly lower survival probability in cases than controls (P < 0.0009). However, the increased risk of recurrence was largely confined to the interval immediately after lithium discontinuation. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that acute discontinuation of lithium leads to a high immediate relapse rate. Most of the excess morbidity over 7 years appears to be attributable to the first episode following discontinuation. Outcome was not worsened by discontinuation.     

首发抑郁症患者24周治疗疗效和依从性随访研究

目的 比较全病程病案管理模式和门诊随访模式干预首发抑郁症急性期和巩固期的疗效和治疗依从性。方法 前瞻性平行对照研究。符合ICD-10抑郁发作诊断标准的256例患者中．183例患者接受全病程病例管理服务和门诊随访,73例患者进行门诊随访,对所有患者跟踪随访半年。在患者治疗基线、第8周、第24周评定病情严重程度,在治疗基线和第24周评定患者社会功能及治疗依从性。结果 （1）全病程管理组患者治疗第8周和第24周的HAMD。总分和SDSS总分的平均值均显著低于对照组（P〈0．01）。（2）全病程管理组患者第8周的有效率和显效率以及第24周的显效率均显著高于对照组（P〈0.05）,第8周的治愈率和第24周的治愈率、有效率高于对照组,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。（3）全病程管理组患者平均复诊次数和平均治疗周数明显高于对照组（P〈0．05）;治疗不足2个月的人数比例明显低于对照组（P〈0．01）,治疗3月、4月、5月和6月的患者比例均高于对照组（P〈0．05）;全病程管理组的乐意服药、打算长期服药以及服药从不忘记的患者比例高于对照组（P〈0．05）,服药忘记一周以上比例低于对照组（P〈0．05）。服用一种药物治疗的患者比例是对照组的三倍（P〈0．01）。结论 全病程管理模式干预首发抑郁症急性期和巩固期的疗效和治疗依从性优于门诊随访模式。     

Inflammation and metabolic changes in first episode psychosis: Preliminary results from a longitudinal study

Metabolic abnormalities are commonly observed in patients with psychosis, and may confer greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Such abnormalities are associated with inflammation in the general population, and there is increasing evidence for elevated inflammation in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of this preliminary study is to examine the effect of changes in inflammation, as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), on metabolic changes in a three-month longitudinal study in a FEP sample.Fifty-three FEP patients from in- and out-patient services in South London, England, were included in this longitudinal study. Social and clinical data were collected, and fasting blood samples and anthropometric measurements (weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), lipid profile and gluco-metabolic parameters) were obtained at baseline and at three-month follow-up.Correlation analyses showed that those with increases in hsCRP over the three-month period also had increases in triglyceride levels (r = 0.49, p = 0.02). No association was observed with other lipid profile, or gluco-metabolic parameters, across the whole sample. Increases in weight and BMI were also associated with increases in triglyceride levels (r = 0.33, p = 0.02; and r = 0.31, p = 0.03, respectively); however, a multiple linear regression analysis found that the effects of inflammation on triglycerides were independent from the effect of changes in weight, and from the baseline inflammatory state.Our preliminary findings suggest that those patients experiencing greater increases in inflammation early on in the course of their illness may be at greater risk of developing short-term metabolic abnormalities, in particular dyslipidaemia, independent of weight-gain. Future work should investigate the use of inflammatory markers to identify patients in greater need of physical health interventions.     

首发抑郁症患者多导睡眠图的对照研究

目的 观察自然夜间多导睡眠图(PSG)对首发抑郁症患者的诊断价值.方法 应用日本1518K多导睡眠生理仪,采用眼电图和下颌肌电图及脑电图等技术,对24例首发抑郁症患者的多导睡眠图(PSG)进行整夜监测,并与21名正常受试者对照.结果 首发抑郁症患者组PSG主要指标表现为REM睡眠潜伏期(RL)前移[正常组(81±11)min,首发抑郁症患者组(62±19)min,P<0.01];睡眠维持率(SMT)下降[正常组(98±5)%,首发抑郁症患者组(87±8)%,P<0.01],第二阶段睡眠降低[正常组(57±5)%,首发抑郁症患者组(43±12)%,P<0.01]及REM 3个睡眠参数有改变.结论 REM睡眠潜伏期前移是首发抑郁症的特点.     

The Cantabria first episode schizophrenia study: a summary of general findings

This article describes the general findings of the initial cross-sectional stage of a prospective follow-up study of all first episodes of schizophrenia that occurred in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria over a 2-year period and that established contact with any mental health service. The project comprises: i) a 2-year cross-sectional stage, in which the sample was gathered and studied with structured psychiatric instruments such as the Present State Examination and the Scales for the Assessment of Negative and Positive Symptoms (SANS and SAPS), and; ii) a continuous follow-up. We detected, in the risk age ranged of 15–54 years, an incidence of 1.9 per 10,000 inhabitants per year for schizophrenia and of 1.3 per 10,000 inhabitants per year for the S + CATEGO diagnosis, without any significant gender difference of morbidity. The mean age for the total schizophrenic population was 26 years, being significantly higher in women than in men. In contrast with what happens with marital status, type of household or urban/rural way of life, there was no gender difference in relation to the other sociodemographic variables. The way in which nosological and clinical variables are associated with first episodes of schizophrenia was also examined in this study. We found that 75% of patients reached a maximum CATEGO-ID level, 71% received a S + CATEGO diagnosis, 59% presented first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia and that the percentage of a schizophrenic negative syndrome, as identified by the SANS and SAPS, was very low. Finally, among the clinical variables investigated, only premorbid adjustment, personal history of mental illness and length of admission presented significant gender differences.     

The evolution of depression and suicidality in first episode psychosis

Upthegrove R, Birchwood M, Ross K, Brunett K, McCollum R, Jones L. The evolution of depression and suicidality in first episode psychosis. Objective: To have a clearer understanding of the ebb and flow of depression and suicidal thinking in the early phase of psychosis, whether these events are predictable and how they relate to the early course of psychotic symptoms. Method: Ninety‐two patients with first episode psychosis (FEP) completed measures of depression, including prodromal depression, self‐harm and duration of untreated psychosis. Follow‐up took place over 12 months. Results: Depression occurred in 80% of patients at one or more phases of FEP; a combination of depression and suicidal thinking was present in 63%. Depression in the prodromal phase was the most significant predictor of future depression and acts of self‐harm. Conclusion: Depression early in the emergence of a psychosis is fundamental to the development of future depression and suicidal thinking. Efforts to predict and reduce depression and deliberate self‐harm in psychosis may need to target this early phase to reduce later risk.     

Aging and stroke rehabilitation. a case-comparison study

The aim of this study was to assess the specific influence of age on basal functional status and rehabilitation results. We conducted a case-comparison study on 150 stroke inpatients. They were enrolled in homogeneous subgroups, matched for severity of stroke (measured by Canadian Neurological Scale - CNS) and onset admission interval (within 3 days) and divided into five subgroups according to age: or=85 years. Even when severity of stroke was the same, increasing age was associated with greater disability in activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility, minor results of rehabilitation treatment and shorter length of stay. Patients >or=85 years were nearly ten times as likely to show a low response in ADL (OR = 9.28, 95% CI = 2.89-29.76) and nearly six times in mobility (OR = 6.13, 95% CI = 2.18-17.25) than younger patients. However, rehabilitation treatment was efficacious also in patients >or=85 years, with effectiveness of treatment 27.96% on ADL and 18.64% on mobility. On one hand our results confirm the unfavorable influence of age on functional outcome and on the other that inpatient rehabilitation is substantially effective also for very old patients, although less than for younger ones.     

Symptomatic and functional outcome 12 months after a first episode of psychotic mania: barriers to recovery in a catchment area sample

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown that outcome in mania is worse than previously thought. Such studies have been conducted in selected samples with restrictive measures of outcome. We aimed to explore outcome and its predictors in a catchment area sample of first-episode psychotic mania of DSM-III-R bipolar I disorder. METHODS: Prospective 6 and 12 months follow-up was conducted with 87 DSM-III-R first-episode psychotic mania patients admitted to Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre between 1989 and 1997. Syndromic and symptomatic outcome were determined with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; functional outcome with the Quality of Life Scale and Premorbid Adjustment Scale subitems. RESULTS: Symptomatic outcome was assessed in 67 patients at 6 months and 61 patients at 12 months, and functional outcome in 56 patients at 6 months and 49 patients at 12 months. Logistic regressions were conducted on 46 and 43 patients, respectively, to explore predictors of outcome. While 90% of patients achieved syndromic recovery at 6 and 12 months, 40% had not recovered symptomatically at 6 and 12 months, still presenting with anxiety or depression. A total of 66% of patients at 6 months and 61% of patients at 12 months failed to return to previous level of functioning. Age at intake, family history of affective disorder, illicit drug use and functional recovery at 6 months predicted functional outcome at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms poor symptomatic and functional outcome after first-episode psychotic mania. It suggests possible usefulness of early intervention strategies in bipolar disorders and need for developing specific interventions addressing anxiety, depression and substance abuse comorbidity.     

Insight into illness in patients with mania,mixed mania,bipolar depression and major depression with psychotic features

Dell'Osso L, Pini S, Cassano GB, Mastrocinque C, Seckinger RA, Saettoni M, Papasogli A, Yale SA, Amador XF. Insight into illness in patients with mania, mixed mania, bipolar depression and major depression with psychotic features. Bipolar Disord 2002: 4: 315–322. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2002 Background: Poor insight into illness is a common feature of bipolar disorder and one that is associated with poor clinical outcome. Empirical studies of illness awareness in this population are relatively scarce with the majority of studies being published over the previous decade. The study reported here sought to replicate previous report findings that bipolar patients frequently show high levels of poor insight into having an illness. We also wanted to examine whether group differences in insight exist among bipolar manic, mixed and unipolar depressed patients with psychotic features. Methods: A cohort of 147 inpatients with DSM‐III‐R bipolar disorder and 30 with unipolar depression with psychotic features, were evaluated in the week prior to discharge using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R‐Patient Edition (SCID‐P), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD). Results: Insight into specific aspects of the illness was related to the polarity of mood episode: patients with mania showed significantly poorer insight compared with those with mixed mania, bipolar depression and unipolar depression. A linear regression analysis using SUMD score as the dependent variable and symptoms of mania as the independent variable found that specific manic symptoms did not account for level of insight. Similar results were obtained when the mean insight scores of patients with and without grandiosity were contrasted. Conclusions: We hypothesize that the lack of association between level of insight and total number of manic symptoms or with specific manic symptoms may be related to the persistence of subsyndromal symptoms in patients remitting from a manic episode.