Abstract
Pharmacologic and psychosocial treatment options for mania have improved substantially as evidenced by the volume of expert opinion, guidelines, meta-analyses and reports from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) study. However, these sources offer little direct evidence from the treatment of older patients. The lack of data is troublesome because bipolar disorder in late life is complicated by both mental and physical comorbid conditions, making both diagnosis and treatment challenging. Given the increase in the aging adult population, the frequency with which primary care physicians (PCPs) encounter late-life mania will increase as well. What follows is a brief review of the character and control of late-life mania as well as expert inferences from the Acute Pharmacotherapy of Late-Life Mania (GERI-BD) and STEP-BD studies.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 28-33 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Primary Psychiatry |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jan 1 2008 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health