Long-term effectiveness of aripiprazole in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder: A naturalistic study

Abstract Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness of aripiprazole in Taiwanese samples of adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorders. Methods. This investigation comprises a 24-week, observational, prospective study. A total of 28 patients with bipolar I disorder, diagnosed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, were administered aripiprazole. Effectiveness was assessed by the change from the baseline in Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and The World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL). Results. The sample comprised 19 males and nine females with a mean (SD) age of 18.5 (3.3) years. The diagnosis was bipolar I disorder with manic (n = 8), depressive (n = 6) and mixed (n = 14) episodes. Eighteen patients (64.3%) discontinued aripiprazole prematurely. The CGI severity, BPRS total score improved significantly from the baseline to the endpoint. Conclusion. Aripiprazole led to clinically meaningful improvement of global symptoms in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder. However, discontinuation of medication within 6 months was high. Whether aripiparzole benefits patients with manic episodes more than those with depressive or mixed episodes warrants further investigation.