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.

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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