Remission rate of atypical antipsychotic treatment of bipolar depression: experience at Srinagarind Hospital, northeast Thailand.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the remission rate when using atypical antipsychotic treatment for bipolar depression at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The authors reviewed the patient records for 18 persons, both in- and out-patients, with DSM-IV-TR bipolar depression, treated with atypical antipsychotic(s), at the Department of Psychiatry, Srinagarind Hospital, between May 2005 and April 2008. The remission rate using atypical antipsychotic treatment was assessed using survival analysis while the patterns of prescribing atypical antipsychotics were delineated using percentages.

RESULTS

Of the 18 patients, 15 fulfilled the remission criteria. The mean time to remission was 10.3 weeks (SD 8.4). The incidence-density of the remission rate for bipolar depression treated with atypical antipsychotics was 8.1 per 100 person-weeks (SD 2.4, 95% CI 4.5-13.4). One patient achieved remission using only atypical antipsychotic monotherapy while 17 received a combination of atypical antipsychotics plus one or more of the following: antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anxiolytics and/or lithium. The present study revealed that remission was 1.4 times higher among females than males and 13 times higher among married than singles.

CONCLUSION

The incidence-density of the remission rate using atypical antipsychotics for treatment of bipolar depression was 8.1 per 100 person-weeks. Almost all of the patients were treated with a combination of atypical antipsychotics plus other groups of medications. Higher remission was associated with females and married persons.