Bipolar disorder psychotic symptoms

Antipsychotic medications are indicated in the treatment of acute and chronic psychotic disorders. These include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and manic states occurring as part of a bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. The co-adminstration of antipsychotic medication with antidepressants has also been shown to increase the remission rate of severe depressive episodes that are accompanied by psychotic symptoms. Antipsychotic medications are frequently used in the management of agitation associated with delirium, dementia, and toxic effects of both prescribed medications (e.g. L-dopa used in Parkinson s disease) and illicit dtugs (e.g. cocaine, amphetamines, andPCP). They are also indicated in the management of tics that result from Gilles de la Tourette s syndrome, and widely used to control the motor and behavioural manifestations of Huntington s disease. 

When is medication indicated in the treatment of psychiatric illness There is no short answer to this question. At one end of the continuum, patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, and severe major depressive disorder should always be considered candidates for pharmacotherapy, and neglecting to use medication, or at least discuss the use of medication with these patients, fails to adhere to the current standard of mental health care. Less severe depressive disorders, many anxiety disorders, and binge eating disorders can respond to psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy, and different therapies can target distinct symptom complexes in these situations. Finally, at the opposite end of the spectrum, adjustment disorders, specific phobias, or grief reactions should generally be treated with psychotherapy alone. 

Between the mood disorders and schizophrenia lies schizoaffective disorder. Taking both unipolar and bipolar forms, schizoaffective disorder is manifested by periods of mood disturbance accompanied by psychotic symptoms that persist even when the mood disturbance has resolved. Schizoaffective disorder typically produces a greater degree of social dysfunction than bipolar illness but less impairment than schizophrenia. 

Mania. Mania and hypomania can also occur in children and adolescents on SSRIs, and, again, it is not known if there is an added developmental risk (Ven-kataraman et al., 1992). In a fluoxetine treatment study for depression, 3 (of 48) patients developed manic symptoms, even after excluding patients with psychotic depression, bipolar symptoms, or a family history of bipolar disorder (Emslie et al., 1997). In a paroxetine treatment study for depression, 5 adolescents (of 93) were removed for emotional lability and 1 for eupho-ria/expansive mood (Keller et al., 2001). 

The primary indication for ECT in adolescents is the short-term treatment of mood symptoms, depressive or manic (Walter et al., 1999). Mood symptoms in the course of major depression, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, organic mood disorders, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder respond well to ECT. Psychotic symptoms in mood disorders also respond well to ECT whereas the effectiveness of ECT in the treatment of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia is doubtful. There are suggestions that other uncommon clinical conditions in adolescents such as catatonia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome also benefit from ECT. The effectiveness of ECT seems to lessen when there is a comorbid personality disorder or drug and/or alcohol problems. There are very few data about usefulness on prepubertal children. 

The most common indications for antipsychotic drugs are the treatment of acute psychosis and the maintenance of remission of psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. More recently, the atypical antipsychotics have become part of the standard repertoire for the treatment of bipolar disorder, as discussed in Chapter 5. Antipsychotic drugs also ameliorate psychotic symptoms associated... 

Schizoaffective (SA) disorder is characterized by both psychotic and mood symptoms, with patients meeting the inclusion diagnostic criteria for acute schizophrenia and a major mood disorder. They should also have had a period during the episode of at least 2 weeks when psychotic symptoms predominate in the relative absence of mood symptoms. In addition, mood symptoms should be present for a substantial portion of an episode. This disorder can be further divided into SA-bipolar or SA-depressed subtypes. Although this disorder is not well understood, it has been considered as ... 

The differentiation between the emotional vicissitudes of adolescence and more subtle episodes of bipolar disorder can be difficult. Nonetheless, a sizable minority (30%) of adult patients with bipolar disorder report having their first symptoms during adolescence. Furthermore, classic manic (type I) episodes have been observed during adolescence, and the earlier the onset, the more likely the patient will have a psychotic form ( H). Childhood-onset mania can be severe and is frequently co-morbid with ADFID and other psychiatric disorders (205). 

Nonpsychotic persons also experience impaired performance as judged by a number of psychomotor and psychometric tests. Psychotic individuals, however, may actually show improvement in their performance as the psychosis is alleviated. The ability of the atypical antipsychotic drugs to improve some domains of cognition in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is controversial. Some individuals experience marked improvement and for that reason, cognition should be assessed in all patients with schizophrenia and a trial of an atypical agent considered, even if positive symptoms are well controlled by typical agents. 

For approximately 70% of patients with schizophrenia, and probably for a similar proportion of patients with bipolar disorder with psychotic features, typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs are of equal efficacy for treating positive symptoms. However, the evidence favors atypical drugs for benefit for negative symptoms and cognition, for diminished risk of tardivedyskinesia and other forms of EPS, and for lesser increases in prolactin levels. 

Bipolar affective (manic-depressive) disorder occurs in 1-3% of the adult population. It may begin in childhood, but most cases are first diagnosed in the third and fourth decades of life. The key symptoms of bipolar disorder in the manic phase are excitement, hyperactivity, impulsivity, disinhibition, aggression, diminished need for sleep, psychotic symptoms in some (but not all) patients, and cognitive impairment. Depression in bipolar patients is phenomenologically similar to that of major depression, with the key features being depressed mood, diurnal variation, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and sometimes, psychotic symptoms. Mixed manic and depressive symptoms are also seen. Patients with bipolar disorder are at high risk for suicide. 

Disorders in addition to schizophrenia that can have positive symptoms include bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic depression, Alzheimer s disease... 

FIGURE 10—6. Depressive and anxious symptoms are not only a hallmark of major depressive disorder but are frequently associated with other psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder with organic causes of depression, such as substance abuse with childhood mood disorders (child) with psychotic forms of depression and with mood and psychotic disorders resistant to treatment with drugs (treatment-resistant), among others. 

Depressive and anxious symptoms are frequently associated with schizophrenia, but this does not necessarily mean that they fulfill the diagnostic criteria for a comorbid anxiety or affective disorder. Nevertheless, depressed mood, anxious mood, guilt, tension, irritability, and worry frequently accompany schizophrenia. These various symptoms are also prominent features of major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, organic dementias, and childhood... 

Although the usefulness of the atypical antipsychotics is best documented for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, numerous studies are documenting the utility of these agents for the treatment of positive symptoms associated with several other disorders (discussed in Chapter 10 see Fig. 10—2). Atypical antipsychotics have become first-line acute and maintenance treatments for positive symptoms of psychosis, not only in schizophrenia but also in the acute manic and mixed manic-depressed phases of bipolar disorder in depressive psychosis and schizoaffective disorder in psychosis associated with behavioral disturbances in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer s disease, Parkinson s disease, and other organic psychoses and in psychotic disorders in children and adolescents (Fig. 11—52, first-line treatments). In fact, current treatment standards have evolved in many countries so that atypical antipsychotics have largely replaced conventional antipsychotics for the treatment of positive psychotic symptoms except in a few specific clinical situations. 

Profound mood-stabilizing effects of the atypical antipsychotic drugs were observed once their antipsychotic effects were documented. These effects on mood appear to be quite independent of their effects on positive symptoms of psychosis. The most dramatic story may be how impressive the atypical antipsychotics are turning out to be for the treatment of bipolar disorder (Fig. 11 — 53). Although the best documented effect of these drugs is to reduce psychotic symptoms in the acute manic phase of bipolar disorder, it is clear that these agents also stabilize mood and can help in some of the most difficult cases, such as those marked by rapid cycling and mixed simultaneous manic-depressed states that are often nonresponsive to mood... 

FIGURE 11-52. Positive symptom pharmacy. First-line treatment of positive symptoms is now atypical antipsychotics (SDA), not only for schizophrenia but also for positive symptoms associated with bipolar disorder, Alzheimer s disease, childhood psychoses, and other psychotic disorders. However, conventional antipsychotics (D2) and benzodiazepines (BZ) are still useful for acute intramuscular administration (in case of emergency), and D2 for monthly depot injections for noncompliant patients, as well as for second-line use after several atypical agents fail. Clozapine (C), polypharmacy, and combinations (combos) are relegated to second- and third-line treatment for positive symptoms of psychosis. 

Mood symptoms of depression are associated with many conditions in addition to major depressive disorder, including mood and anxiety symptoms in schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar manic/depressed/mixed/rapid cycling states, organic mood disorders, psychotic depression, childhood and adolescent mood disorders, treatment-resistant mood disorders, and many more (see Chapter 10, Fig. 10-6). Atypical antipsychotics are enjoying expanded use for the treatment of symptoms of depression and anxiety in schizophrenia that are troublesome but not severe enough to reach the diagnostic threshold for a major depressive episode or anxiety disorder in these cases the antipsychotics are used not only to reduce such symptoms but hopefully also to reduce suicide rates, which are so high in schizophrenia (Fig. 11 — 53). Atypical antipsychotics may also be useful adjunctive treatments to anti-... 

As with mania and unipolar depression, ECT is a very effective treatment for the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, especially in cases with psychotic symptoms. It is at least as effective as antidepressant medications and probably more effective. Curiously, in spite of its proven antimanic properties, when ECT is administered to depressive bipolars, it may precipitate a switch into mania in some cases. Several other treatments have been tried for bipolar depression, especially in... 

Reduces symptoms of acute psychotic mania but not proven as a mood stabilizer or as an ettective maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder... 

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