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Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview

Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview

Mania, a psychological condition characterized by elevated mood, increased energy, and reduced sleep need, is part of the bipolar disorder cycle. The exact cause of mania isn't entirely known, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic, environmental, and neurological factors. Bipolar disorder involves alternating manic and depressive episodes. Mood stabilizers like lithium, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants help manage these episodes. Lithium carbonate is particularly effective as a...

Bipolar Disorder

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Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition marked by significant mood fluctuations, including episodes of mania and depression. Elevated energy levels, heightened mood or irritability, impulsive behavior, reduced sleep needs, rapid speech, racing thoughts, inflated self-esteem, and distractibility characterize mania. Individuals with bipolar disorder often alternate between depressive and manic states, with periods of emotional stability lasting an average of six months to a year.

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Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

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Drug Therapy

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Published on: May 2, 2025

Bipolar disorder: candidate drug targets.

Carlos A Zarate¹, Husseini K Manji

¹Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. zaratec@mail.nih.go

The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, New York

|August 16, 2008

Summary

Current bipolar disorder treatments often fail, leading to persistent symptoms and disability. Novel therapeutics targeting systems like purinergic and glutamatergic pathways, and intracellular targets such as GSK-3, are urgently needed for better patient outcomes.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder

Published on: May 2, 2025

Area of Science:

Neuroscience and Pharmacology
Psychiatry and Mental Health Research

Background:

Existing pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder provides unsatisfactory outcomes for many patients.
A significant number of individuals experience persistent mood relapses, residual symptoms, and functional impairment despite current treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies for bipolar disorder.
To identify promising drug targets and compounds for future bipolar disorder treatment development.

Main Methods:

Review and identification of implicated biological systems and intracellular pathways.
Focus on systems including purinergic, dynorphin, cholinergic, melatonin/serotonin 5-HT2C, glutamatergic, and the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis.
Consideration of intracellular targets like glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), protein kinase C, and the arachidonic acid cascade.

Main Results:

Several biological systems and intracellular pathways have been implicated as potential targets for novel bipolar disorder therapeutics.
Specific systems like the purinergic, glutamatergic, and cholinergic pathways show promise.
Intracellular targets including GSK-3 protein warrant further investigation.

Conclusions:

Novel drug targets and compounds exist for developing more effective bipolar disorder treatments.
Further research into these identified systems and intracellular pathways is crucial for advancing pharmacotherapy.