Antidepressant‐associated mania in late life

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background Elderly patients can present with mania for the first time late in life, and some elders treated with antidepressants can present with mania. Clinical characteristics of antidepressant‐associated mania (AAM) in late life have not been examined. Objectives The aims of the study were to identify elders with AAM and to compare selected clinical characteristics to those of manic elders who had not been treated with an antidepressant. We hypothesized that AAM patients would have later age at presentation of bipolar disorder. Methods We retrospectively reviewed inpatients with manic disorder who were aged ≥60 years. The sample was selected from admissions prior to 1990. Results AAM patients (n = 11) were more often experiencing first manic episode, and they had later age at onset of first manic episode, compared to non‐AAM patients (n = 46). Most of the AAM patients had been treated with tricyclic agents. Conclusions These preliminary findings invite further investigation. Related studies may contribute to risk‐benefit analyses for the use of particular antidepressants in the elderly. Also, first episode mania in late life may prove to be a useful model of vulnerability to AAM. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: