Antidepressants of Little Benefit for Manic Depression

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Antidepressants of Little Benefit for Manic Depression

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Antidepressants of Little Benefit for Manic Depression

Those with bipolar disease may not befit from the use of antidepressants.

According to

research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the use of

antidepressants did

not offer any additional benefit during periods of depression for those

suffering with

bipolar disease.

Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide, that

affects nearly 4% of

people at some time in their life. The annual costs of bipolar disease are

greater than

those related to diabetes or major depressive illness. While the hallmark of

this condition

is the presence of episodes of mania- frequently characterized by feelings of

euphoria,

excessive risk-taking and pressured speech, it is the episodes of depression

that is the

leading cause of impairment and death in these patients.

While the benefits of mood stabilizers such as lithium are well documented,

research on

how to control episodes of depression has been inconclusive. Some doctors worry

that

placing manic-depressive patients on antidepressants may increase the chance for

a

manic episode.

The researchers performed the present study to evaluate if patients with bipolar

disease

who had a depressive episode needed to take antidepressants in addition to their

mood

stabilization medicines. They were most interested in whether or not the

patients had

normal mood for 8 weeks after initial recovery.

The results showed that those who received antidepressants fared no better than

those

who received mood stabilizers alone, as 23% of those who receiving a mood

stabilizer plus

adjunctive antidepressant therapy had a durable recovery, as compared to 27%

receiving a

mood stabilizer plus a matching placebo. The use of antidepressants did not

increase the

risk for a manic episode.

Manic depression may present with either a manic or depressive episodes. If you

have

symptoms of either mania or depression, you should seek medical attention on an

urgent

basis.