Perspectives on bipolar illness.

Based on evidence available at present, it appears that heterogeneity does exist within bipolar disorder. Persons with mania differ in family history of affective illness, their age at the onset of illness, sex, and organic cause and course of the illness. The question of how these variables influence an individual's response to treatment has never been systematically studied. Multicenter trials of the various antimanic agents need to be conducted to determine whether the various subgroups of manic patients have different pharmacological response profiles. At present, the clinical management of mania is best approached using lithium carbonate in a dosage adequate to achieve a 12-hour serum lithium level to 1.0 to 1.2 mEq/L. The time to response is usually 2 to 3 weeks, and during this period an antipsychotic or benzodiazepine agent may be added to help control symptoms such as agitation or sleeplessness. Prophylactic maintenance with 12-hour serum lithium levels between 0.8 and 1.0 mEq/L should be used for at least 6 to 12 months after resolution of the manic episode. In patients with more than one episode, lithium maintenance therapy may need to be continued indefinitely. In patients who are not responsive to lithium, the most prominent alternative therapies include anticonvulsants and calcium-channel blocking agents. Anticonvulsants (e.g., carbamazepine, valproic acid, clonazepam) are generally first used as alternative therapy (either alone, or in combination with lithium), followed by a calcium-channel blocker (e.g., verapamil). Clinical practice would generally suggest first using the alternative agent alone, then adding lithium if response is inadequate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)