Related Experiment Videos
Mood symptoms during corticosteroid therapy: a review
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9070, USA.
Harvard Review of Psychiatry
|March 11, 1998
Summary
Corticosteroid therapy, like prednisone, can cause mood changes including mania and depression. These psychiatric side effects are often dose-dependent and emerge early in treatment, warranting further investigation into risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
Background:
- Corticosteroids are widely used for immune-mediated diseases.
- Mood symptoms are a potential side effect of corticosteroid treatment.
- Limited research exists on the characterization of these mood changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on mood symptoms associated with corticosteroid therapy.
- To identify patterns and potential risk factors for mood disturbances during treatment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on corticosteroid-induced mood symptoms.
- Analysis of symptom presentation, dose-dependency, and onset.
- Comparison of psychiatric symptoms to bipolar disorder.
Main Results:
- Limited studies exist with rigorous diagnostic criteria.
- Hypomania, mania, depression, and psychosis are reported as common symptoms.
- Symptoms appear dose-dependent and typically emerge within the first few weeks of therapy.
Conclusions:
- Corticosteroid treatment can induce significant mood and psychiatric symptoms.
- Symptoms resemble those of bipolar disorder.
- Further research is needed to identify risk factors for these adverse effects.