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Acute treatment of bipolar disorder with adjunctive risperidone in outpatients
S N Ghaemi1, G S Sachs, C F Baldassano
1Center on Neuroscience, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that, although typical neuroleptics are commonly used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, newer atypical antipsychotic agents, like risperidone, may be more effective and better-tolerated.
Method:
The effectiveness of risperidone was evaluated in 14 outpatients with bipolar disorder, type I, who received risperidone for 6.4 +/- 2.7 weeks at 2.75 +/- 1.8 mg/day.
Results:
Nine (64%) patients were much improved based on Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores, and mean Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores improved from 48.2 +/- 4.9 to 58.8 +/- 7.3 (t = 4.49, P = 0.0006, paired t test). Treatment was well tolerated, and no patient experienced worsening of mood symptoms while receiving risperidone.
Conclusion:
This open series suggests risperidone is beneficial in the treatment of outpatients with bipolar disorder.