[Mania in an elderly subject: I. -- manic-depressive disorders of late onset].

Late mania may inaugurate a late-onset bipolar illness. Atypical features and organic brain abnormalities are frequently associated. Late-onset bipolar illness is apparently characterized by a strong instability of mood and a super or subsensitivity to neuroleptics and antidepressant drugs. However, there is a strong efficacy of lithium salts and lithium may be used as a curative and preventive treatment or as a therapeutic test, especially in atypical cases. The occurrence of mania in elderly people involves a specifical etiologic, therapeutic and diagnostic approach.