Manic depressive psychosis, action

At another psychopharmacology conference held in the United States in 1962, it was suggested that antidepressants strike almost specifically at the governing mechanisms of affectivity which are disturbed in manic depressive psychosis (Flugel 1966, p. 495). Their specificity of action was again contrasted with stimulants ... 

Lithium is important as the treatment of choice for manic depressive psychosis and this has provoked a wide variety of NMR studies in an endeavour to probe its mode of action. Organolithium compounds are used extensively in synthetic organic chemistry and as industrial catalysts, especially in polymerization reactions. 

In psychiatric practice, chlorpromazine is used in various conditions of psychomotor excitement in patients with schizophrenia, chronic paranoid and also manic-depressive conditions, neurosis, alcohol psychosis and neurosis accompanied by excitement, fear, stress, and insomnia, hi comparison with other neuroleptics, chlorpromazine is unique in that it has an expressed sedative effect. It is sometimes used in anesthesiological practice for potentiating narcosis. It also has moderate anticonvulsant action. The most common synonyms are aminazine, megaphen, largactil, thorazine, prompar, and others. 

Lenox RH, Manji HK Lithium, in The American Psychiatric Press Textbook of Psychopharmacology. Edited by Nemeroff C, Schatzberg A. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press, 1995, pp 303-349 Lenox RH, Watson DG Lithium and the brain a psychopharmacological strategy to a molecular basis for manic-depressive illness. Chn Chem 40(2 309-314, 1994 Lenox RH, Watson DG, Patel J, et al Chronic lithium administration alters a prominent PKC substrate in rat hippocampus. Brain Res 570 333-340, 1992 Lenzi A, Lazzerini F, Grossi E, et al Use of carbamazepine in acute psychosis a controlled study. J Int Med Res 14 78-84, 1986 Leonard BE Commentary on the mode of action of benzodiazepines. J Psychiatr Res 27 (suppl 1) 193, 1993... 

It is well established that monotherapy with various antidepressants or mood stabilizers is relatively ineffective (i.e., they are necessary but not sufficient) for treating mood disorders with associated psychosis. Thus, psychotically depressed patients are best managed with a combination of antipsychotic-antidepressant or with electroconvulsive therapy. Although antipsychotics have a more rapid onset of action than lithium in an acute manic episode, we are unaware of clinical trials that examine the differential effect of antipsychotics or lithium for nonpsychotic versus psychotic mania. This topic is discussed further in... 

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