[A follow-up study on rapid cycling affective disorders]

Of 27 cases, 18 manic-depressive patients who simultaneously fitted dunners' seminal definition about rapid cycling affective disorders (RCAD) completed clinical follow-up for 1.5-4.5 years after discharge between Jan, 1983 and Jun, 1986. The results showed that 8 cases relapsed into manic-depressive episodes, the other 10 cases had no relapsed. Only one case belonged to relapsing of RCAD during the follow-up duration. The cases with relapsing of depression responded to lithium or to stopping use of antidepressants, but the cases with relapsing of manic episodes responded to carbamazepine. The differences in therapeutic response in such cases suggested that RCAD probably presented biological heterogenecity.