Related Experiment Videos
A typical mood stabilizers: a "typical role for atypical antipsychotics
1Mood Disorder Unit, Black Dog Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. g.malhi@unsw.edu.au
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum
|August 18, 2005
Summary
Atypical antipsychotics show efficacy in mania but not bipolar depression. Further research is needed to confirm their role as mood stabilizers, especially for long-term maintenance and relapse prevention.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Bipolar disorder requires effective mood stabilization.
- Atypical antipsychotics are increasingly used in psychiatric practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics as mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of major databases (MedLine, PsychLIT, PubMed, EMBASE) up to December 2004.
- Review of data across different phases of bipolar disorder.
- Analysis of existing literature and bibliographies of review articles.
Main Results:
- Substantive evidence supports atypical antipsychotics for mania, suggesting a class effect.
- Emerging data for bipolar depression varies by agent; evidence for mixed states and rapid cycling is sparse.
- Long-term therapy with atypical antipsychotics is associated with clinically significant side effects.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence suggests it is premature to classify atypical antipsychotics as definitive mood stabilizers.
- Individual agents may warrant this classification in the future.
- Further research is crucial, particularly on maintenance therapy and relapse prevention.