The clinical use of carbamazepine in affective disorders.

Carbamazepine, although not widely used in the treatment of affective disorders until the mid-1970s, is now considered an integral part of the pharmacological treatment of affective disorders. The author reviews much of the currently available data on the clinical effects of carbamazepine for both the acute and prophylactic treatment of affectively ill patients. Because of theoretical implications for the use of carbamazepine in affectively ill patients and reports of early success in uncontrolled trials, the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of carbamazepine in affective illness was undertaken at the National Institute of Mental Health in 1976. The results of this trial and other controlled and uncontrolled trials form the basis of this review.