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First episode mania at 75 years of age
Ashish Aggarwal1, Ramesh Kumar, Ravi C Sharma
1Department of Psychiatry, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Abstract:
Late onset psychiatric disorders are often associated with organic factors, either medical or neurological. Mania occurring for the first time in the elderly population is rarely reported. We hereby report a patient with first episode mania who was investigated in detail, but no organic factors were found. He was diagnosed as first episode mania and was managed with divalproex and olanzapine.
Insights
Late onset mania is uncommon in the elderly and often linked to medical causes. This case study details a patient with a first-episode mania where no organic factors were identified, highlighting idiopathic late-onset mania.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Neuropsychiatry
Background:
- Late-onset psychiatric disorders frequently stem from underlying medical or neurological conditions.
- First-episode mania in elderly individuals is a rare clinical presentation.
Observation:
- A case report of an elderly patient presenting with a first episode of mania.
- Comprehensive investigations were conducted to identify potential organic etiologies.
Findings:
- No identifiable organic factors (medical or neurological) were found to be associated with the patient's manic episode.
- The patient was diagnosed with idiopathic first-episode mania.
Implications:
- This case underscores the possibility of idiopathic mania occurring for the first time in the elderly population.
- Highlights the importance of thorough investigation while acknowledging that not all late-onset mania cases have an organic basis.
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