Long-term implications of early onset in bipolar disorder: data from the first 1000 participants in the systematic treatment enhancement program for bipolar disorder (STEP-BD)

Understanding Early Age of Onset: a Review of the Last 5 Years

The age at onset of bipolar disorder ranging from childhood to adolescent to adult has significant implications for frequency, severity and duration of mood episodes, comorbid psychopathology, heritability, response to treatment, and opportunity for early intervention. There is increasing evidence that recognition of prodromal symptoms in at-risk populations and mood type at onset are important variables in understanding the course of this illness in youth. Very early childhood onset of symptoms including anxiety/depression, mood lability, and subthreshold manic symptoms, along with family history of a parent with early onset bipolar disorder, appears to predict the highest risk of early onset disorder with the most severe course.

Safety and efficacy of adjunctive second-generation antidepressant therapy with a mood stabiliser or an atypical antipsychotic in acute bipolar depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Although mania and hypomania define bipolar disorder, depressive episodes are more common and impairing, with few proven treatments. Adjunctive therapy with second-generation antidepressants is widely used to treat acute bipolar depression, but their efficacy and safety remain controversial.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to Jan 31, 2016, for randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of second-generation antidepressants adjunctive to a mood stabiliser or an antipsychotic in patients with acute bipolar depression. We extracted data from published reports. The primary outcome was change in clinician-rated depressive symptom score; secondary outcomes were clinical response, clinical remission, treatment-emergent mania or hypomania, and tolerability (using dropout rates as a proxy). We used pooled random-effects models, subgroup comparisons, and meta-regression for analyses. We made subgroup comparisons on the basis of mood stabiliser or antipsychotic treatment and did meta-regression examining trial duration. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD#42015016024.

FINDINGS

We identified six trials representing 1383 patients with bipolar depression. Second-generation antidepressants were associated with a small but significant improvement in clinician-rated depressive symptom score (standardised mean differences 0·165 [95% CI 0·051-0·278], p=0·004). However, clinical response and remission rates did not differ significantly between patients receiving adjunctive antidepressants and those receiving placebo (1·158 [0·840-1·597], p=0·371 for clinical response; 1·220 [0·874-1·703], p=0·243 for remission). Acute treatment was not associated with an increased risk of treatment-emergent mania or hypomania (0·926 [0·576-1·491], p=0·753), but 52 week extension periods were associated with an increase in risk (1·774 [1·018-3·091], p=0·043).

INTERPRETATION

Adjunctive second-generation antidepressants are associated with reduced symptoms of acute bipolar depression, but the magnitude of benefit is small because they do not increase clinical response or remission rates. However, these medications should be used only in the short term because prolonged use is associated with an increased risk of treatment-emergent mania or hypomania.

FUNDING

None.

Prevalence of comorbid bipolar and substance use disorders in clinical settings, 1990-2015: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Comorbidity between substance use disorders (SUDs) and bipolar disorder (BD) is highly prevalent to the extent it may almost be regarded the norm. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence rates of SUDs in treatment seeking patients diagnosed with BD in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of Medline, EMBASE, psychINFO and CINAHL databases was conducted from 1990 to 2015. Prevalence of co-morbid SUDs and BD were extracted and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

There were 151 articles identified by electronic searches that yielded 22 large, multi-site studies and 56 individual studies describing comorbid rates of SUDs amongst community dwelling, BD inpatients or outpatients. The SUDs with the highest prevalence in BD were alcohol use (42%) followed by cannabis use (20%) and other illicit drug use (17%). Meta-analysis showed males had higher lifetime risks of SUDs compared to females. BD and comorbid SUDS were associated with earlier age of onset and slightly more hospitalisations than non-users.

LIMITATIONS

The results do not take into account the possibility that individuals may have more than one comorbid disorder, such as having more than one SUD, anxiety disorder, or other combination. Some of the meta-analyses were based on relatively few studies with high rates of heterogeneity. Most included studies were cross-sectional and therefore causality cannot be inferred.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review shows comorbidity between SUDs and bipolar illness is highly prevalent in hospital and community-based samples. The prevalence of SUDs was similar in patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders. This study adds to the literature demonstrating that SUDs are common in BD and reinforces the need to provide better interventions and properly conducted treatment trials to reduce the burden conferred by comorbid SUD and BD.

Aims and structure of the German Research Consortium BipoLife for the study of bipolar disorder

Background

Bipolar disorder is a severe and heterogeneous mental disorder. Despite great advances in neuroscience over the past decades, the precise causative mechanisms at the transmitter, cellular or network level have so far not been unraveled. As a result, individual treatment decisions cannot be tailor-made and the uncertain prognosis is based on clinical characteristics alone. Although a subpopulation of patients have an excellent response to pharmacological monotherapy, other subpopulations have been less well served by the medical system and therefore require more focused attention. In particular individuals at high risk of bipolar disorder, young patients in the early stages of bipolar disorder, patients with an unstable highly relapsing course and patients with acute suicidal ideation have been identified as those in need.

Structure

A research consortium of ten universities across Germany has therefore implemented a 4 year research agenda including three randomized controlled trials, one epidemiological trial and one cross-sectional trial to address these areas of unmet needs. The topics under investigation will be the improvement of early recognition, specific psychotherapy, and smartphones as an aid for early episode detection and biomarkers of lithium response. A subset of patients will be investigated utilizing neuroimaging (fMRI), neurophysiology (EEG), and biomaterials (genomics, transcriptomics).

Conclusions

This article aims to outline the rationale, design, and methods of these individual studies.

Evaluation of Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents Referred to a Mood Service: Diagnostic Pathways and Manic Dimensions

OBJECTIVES

Few studies have examined pediatric mental health services for early-onset bipolar disorder (BD). The goal of this study was to describe diagnostic pathways and manic dimensions in BD among referred children and adolescents.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a review of the charts of 814 subjects, 2 to 17 years of age, with a complaint of mood disturbances who were referred between 2003 and 2012 to a university-based child and adolescent clinic that specializes in mood disorders. After screening, eligible participants (N=494) were systematically assessed and followed to determine diagnoses on the basis of criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision in accordance with the best-estimate approach. Manic symptoms were subjected to principal component analysis to investigate the dimensional bipolar profile of the sample.

RESULTS

Among the total help-seeking sample, approximately one third of the participants dropped out at intake and, after an average follow-up of 1.7 years, one third had been determined to meet criteria for BD and one third did not fulfill operational criteria for BD. The diagnostic status was changed in 35% of patients: approximately 10% were false positive (going from any bipolar diagnosis to a nonbipolar diagnosis) and approximately 25% were false negative (going from a nonbipolar diagnosis to any bipolar diagnosis). Most patients who converted to a bipolar diagnosis were initially labeled with major depressive disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and had a longer follow-up period. Relevant manic dimensions were elation, grandiosity, and disruption, which explained 41.4% of total variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Regular reappraisal and follow-up of children and adolescents with mood disturbances provides a window for detection of BD (eg, of core manic dimensions). A coordinated and hierarchical connection among pediatric mental health services with different degrees of specialization is recommended.

Neurofunctional Differences Among Youth With and at Varying Risk for Developing Mania

OBJECTIVE

To examine prefrontal and amygdala activation during emotional processing in youth with or at varying risk for developing mania to identify candidate central prodromal risk biomarkers.

METHOD

Four groups of medication-free adolescents (10-20 years old) participated: adolescents with first-episode bipolar I disorder (BP-I; n = 32), adolescents with a parent with bipolar disorder and a depressive disorder (at-risk depressed [ARD]; n = 32), healthy adolescents with a parent with bipolar disorder (at-risk healthy [ARH]; n = 32), and healthy adolescents with no personal or family history of psychiatric illness (healthy comparison [HC]; n = 32). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a continuous performance task with emotional and neutral distracters. Region-of-interest analyses were performed for the bilateral amygdala and for subregions of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.

RESULTS

Overall, no group differences in bilateral amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area [BA] 45/47) activation during emotional or neutral stimuli were observed. The BP-I group exhibited lower right pregenual anterior cingulate cortex activation compared with the HC group, and activation in the left BA 44 was greater in the ARH and ARD groups compared with the HC group. BP-I and ARD groups exhibited blunted activation in the right BA 10 compared with the ARH group.

CONCLUSION

During emotional processing, amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 45/47) activation does not differ in youth with or at increasing risk for BP-I. However, blunted pregenual anterior cingulate cortex activation in first-episode mania could represent an illness biomarker, and greater prefrontal BA 10 and BA 44 activations in at-risk youth could represent a biomarker of risk or resilience warranting additional investigation in prospective longitudinal studies.

Child behavior checklist profiles in adolescents with bipolar and depressive disorders

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) profiles in youths with bipolar and depressive disorders.

METHODS

Seventy-four subjects with a mean age of 14.9±1.6years (36 boys) with mood disorders and their parents were recruited from September 2011 to June 2013 in the Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Diagnosis of mood disorder and comorbid psychiatric disorder was confirmed by child psychiatrists using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children - Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). The parents of the subjects completed the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10-item Mania Scale (P-GBI-10M), Parent-version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire (P-MDQ), ADHD rating scale (ARS) and CBCL. The adolescents completed the 76-item Adolescent General Behavior Inventory (A-GBI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Adolescent-version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire (A-MDQ).

RESULTS

When adjusted for gender and the comorbidity with ADHD, the Withdrawn and Anxious/Depressed subscale scores of the CBCL were higher in subjects with bipolar disorder than in those with depressive disorder. Higher scores of A-GBI Depressive subscale, A-MDQ and BDI were shown in subjects with bipolar disorder than in those with depressive disorder. There was no significant difference on CBCL-DP, P-GBI-10M, P-MDQ, A-GBI Hypomanic/Biphasic subscale and ARS between two groups. All eight subscales of the CBCL positively correlated with the P-GBI-10M and P-MDQ scores, and seven of all eight subscales of the CBCL positively correlated with A-GBI Depressive and Hypomanic/Biphasic subscales. The BDI score was positively associated with the Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious/Depressed, and Social Problems subscale scores. CBCL-DP score was strongly correlated with manic/hypomanic symptoms measured by P-GBI-10M and P-MDQ (r=0.771 and 0.826).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the CBCL could be used for measuring mood symptoms and combined psychopathology, especially internalizing symptoms, in youth with mood disorder. However, CBCL-DP had limited ability to differentiate bipolar from depressive disorder, at least in adolescents.

Further Evidence for Smoking and Substance Use Disorders in Youth With Bipolar Disorder and Comorbid Conduct Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a highly morbid disorder increasingly recognized in adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the relative risk for substance use disorders (SUDs; alcohol or drug abuse or dependence) and cigarette smoking in adolescents with BPD.

METHODS

We evaluated the relative risk for SUDs and cigarette smoking in a case-controlled, 5-year prospective follow-up of adolescents with (n = 105, mean ± SD baseline age = 13.6 ± 2.5 years) and without ("controls"; n = 98, baseline age = 13.7 ± 2.1 years) BPD. Seventy-three percent of subjects were retained at follow-up (BPD: n = 68; controls: n = 81; 73% reascertainment). Our main outcomes were assessed by blinded structured interviews for DSM-IV criteria.

RESULTS

Maturing adolescents with BPD, compared to controls, were more likely to endorse higher rates of SUD (49% vs 26%; hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-3.6; P = .02) and cigarette smoking (49% vs 17%; HR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.4-6.1; P = .004), as well as earlier onset of SUD (14.9 ± 2.6 [SD] years vs 16.5 ± 1.6 [SD] years; t = 2.6; P = .01). Subjects with conduct disorder (CD) were more likely to have SUD and nicotine dependence than subjects with BPD alone or controls (all P values < .05). When we added conduct disorder to the model with socioeconomic status and parental SUD, all associations lost significance (all P values > .05). Subjects with the persistence of a BPD diagnosis were also more likely to endorse cigarette smoking and SUD in comparison to those who lost a BPD diagnosis or controls at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide further evidence that adolescents with BPD, particularly those with comorbid CD, are significantly more likely to endorse cigarette smoking and SUDs when compared to their non-mood disordered peers. These findings indicate that youth with BPD should be carefully monitored for comorbid CD and the development of cigarette smoking and SUDs.

Age of onset of bipolar disorder: Combined effect of childhood adversity and familial loading of psychiatric disorders

BACKGROUND

Family history and adversity in childhood are two replicated risk factors for early onset bipolar disorder. However, their combined impact has not been adequately studied.

METHODS

Based on questionnaire data from 968 outpatients with bipolar disorder who gave informed consent, the relationship and interaction of: 1) parental and grandparental total burden of psychiatric illness; and 2) the degree of adversity the patient experienced in childhood on their age of onset of bipolar disorder was examined with multiple regression and illustrated with a heat map.

RESULTS

The familial loading and child adversity vulnerability factors were significantly related to age of onset of bipolar and their combined effect was even larger. A heat map showed that at the extremes (none of each factor vs high amounts of both) the average age of onset differed by almost 20 years (mean = 25.8 vs 5.9 years of age).

LIMITATIONS

The data were not based on interviews of family members and came from unverified answers on a patient questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

Family loading for psychiatric illness and adversity in childhood combine to have a very large influence on age of onset of bipolar disorder. These variables should be considered in assessment of risk for illness onset in different populations, the need for early intervention, and in the design of studies of primary and secondary prevention.

Assessment and Treatment of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Emerging Adulthood: Applying the Behavioral Approach System Hypersensitivity Model

Bipolar disorder is associated with a host of negative physical and interpersonal outcomes including suicide. Emerging adulthood is an age of risk for the onset of bipolar spectrum disorders (BSD) and there has been increased effort to focus on early identification and subsequent intervention for BSDs during this developmental period. Recent research on the behavioral approach system (BAS) hypersensitivity model of bipolar disorder may have implications for the assessment and treatment of BSD in emerging adulthood. We summarize relevant findings on the BAS hypersensitivity model that support the use of reward sensitivity in the early identification of BSDs and suggest evidence-based strategies for clinical work with emerging adults with bipolar spectrum disorders.

Is age of onset associated with severity, prognosis, and clinical features in bipolar disorder? A meta-analytic review

OBJECTIVES

To identify clinical characteristics and adverse outcomes associated with an earlier age of onset of bipolar disorder.

METHODS

A comprehensive search yielded 15 empirical papers comparing clinical presentation and outcomes in individuals with bipolar disorder grouped according to age of onset (total N=7370). The following variables were examined to determine odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs): presence of Axis I comorbidity, rapid cycling, psychotic symptoms, mixed episodes (DSM-IV), lifetime suicide attempts, lifetime alcohol and substance abuse, symptom severity, and treatment delay.

RESULTS

Early age of onset was found to be associated with longer delay to treatment (Hedges' g=0.39, P=.001), greater severity of depression (Hedges' g=0.42, P<.001), and higher levels of comorbid anxiety (OR=2.34, P<.001) and substance use (OR=1.80, P<.001). Surprisingly, no association was found between early age of onset and clinical characteristics such as psychotic symptoms or mixed episodes as defined by DSM-IV.

CONCLUSIONS

Earlier age of onset of bipolar disorder is associated with factors that can negatively impact long-term outcomes such as increased comorbidity. However, no association was found between early onset and indicators of severity or treatment resistance such as psychotic symptoms. Clinical features found to have the strongest relationship with early age of onset were those potentially amenable to pharmacological and psychological treatment. Results highlight the importance of early identification and provide potential areas of focus for the development of early intervention in bipolar disorder.

Adolescents with or at ultra-high risk for bipolar disorder exhibit erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid deficits: a candidate prodromal risk biomarker

AIM

Mood disorders are associated with low levels of the long-chain omega-3 (LCn-3) fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This study investigated LCn-3 fatty acid biostatus in youth with or at varying risk for developing mania to assess its utility as a prodromal risk biomarker.

METHOD

Erythrocyte fatty acid composition was determined in healthy adolescents (n = 28, HC), asymptomatic adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder (n = 30; 'high risk', HR), adolescents with a biological parent with bipolar I disorder and major depressive disorder, or depressive disorder not otherwise specified (n = 36; 'ultra-high risk', UHR), and first-episode adolescent bipolar manic patients (n = 35, BP).

RESULTS

Group differences were observed for DHA (P ≤ 0.0001) and EPA (P = 0.03). Compared with HC, erythrocyte EPA + DHA ('omega-3 index') was significantly lower in BP (-24%, P ≤ 0.0001) and UHR (-19%, P = 0.0006) groups, and there was a trend in the HR group (-11%, P = 0.06). Compared with HC (61%), a greater percentage of HR (77%, P = 0.02), UHR (80%, P = 0.005) and BP (97%, P = 0.001) subjects exhibited EPA + DHA levels of ≤4.0%. Among all subjects (n = 130), EPA + DHA was inversely correlated with manic (r = -0.29, P = 0.0008) and depressive (r = -0.28, P = 0.003) symptom severity. The AA/EPA + DHA ratio was significantly greater in BP (+22%, P = 0.0002) and UHR (+16%, P = 0.001) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Low EPA + DHA levels coincide with the initial onset of mania, and increasing risk for developing bipolar disorder is associated with graded erythrocyte EPA + DHA deficits. Low erythrocyte EPA + DHA biostatus may represent a promising prodromal risk biomarker warranting additional evaluation in future prospective studies.

Early stages of bipolar disorder: characterization and strategies for early intervention

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the early stages of bipolar disorder (BD), defined as the clinical prodrome/subsyndromal stage and first-episode phase, and strategies for their respective treatment.

METHODS

A selective literature search of the PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and ISI databases from inception until March 2014 was performed. Included in this review were articles that a) characterized prodromal and first-episode stages of BD or b) detailed efficacy and safety/tolerability of interventions in patients considered prodromal for BD or those with only one episode of mania/hypomania.

RESULTS

As research has only recently focused on characterization of the early phase of BD, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of any treatment option in the early phase of BD. Case management; individual, group, and family therapy; supportive therapy; and group psychoeducation programs have been proposed. Most evidence-based treatment guidelines for BD do not address treatment specifically in the context of the early stages of illness. Evidence for pharmacotherapy is usually presented in relation to illness polarity (i.e., manic/mixed or depressed) or treatment phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Although early recognition and treatment are critical to preventing unfavorable outcomes, there is currently little evidence for interventions in these stages of BD.

Gender by onset age interaction may characterize distinct phenotypic subgroups in bipolar patients

OBJECTIVE

Although bipolar disorder (BD) is a common recurrent condition with highly heterogeneous illness course, data are limited regarding clinical implications of interactions between gender and onset age. We assessed relationships between onset age and demographic/illness characteristics among BD patients stratified by gender.

METHODS

Demographic and unfavorable illness characteristics, descriptive traits, and clinical correlates were compared in 502 patients from Stanford University BD Clinic patients enrolled in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for BD between 2000 and 2011, stratified by gender, across pre-, peri-, and post-pubertal (<12, 13-16, and >17 years, respectively) onset-age subgroups.

RESULTS

Among 502 BD patients, 58.2% were female, of whom 21.9% had pre-pubertal, 30.7% peri-pubertal, and 47.4% post-pubertal onset. Between genders, although demographics, descriptive characteristics, and most clinical correlates were statistically similar, there were distinctive onset-age related patterns of unfavorable illness characteristics. Among females, rates of 6/8 primary unfavorable illness characteristics were significantly higher in pre-pubertal and peri-pubertal compared to post-pubertal onset patients. However, among males, rates of only 3/8 unfavorable illness characteristics were significantly higher in only pre-pubertal versus post-pubertal onset patients, and none between peri-pubertal versus post-pubertal onset patients.

LIMITATIONS

Caucasian, insured, suburban, American specialty clinic-referred sample limits generalizability, onset age based on retrospective recall.

DISCUSSION

We describe different phenotypic presentations across age at illness onset groups according to gender. Among females and males, peri-pubertal and post-pubertal onset age groups were more different and more similar, respectively. Further investigation is warranted to assess implications of gender-by-onset-age interactions to more accurately delineate distinctive BD phenotypes.

Assessment and treatment of mood disorders in the context of substance abuse

Recognition and management of mood symptoms in individuals using alcohol and/or other drugs represent a daily challenge for clinicians in both inpatient and outpatient treatment settings. Diagnosis of underlying mood disorders in the context of ongoing substance abuse requires careful collection of psychiatric history, and is often critical for optimal treatment planning and outcomes. Failure to recognize major depression or bipolar disorders in these patients can result in increased relapse rates, recurrence of mood episodes, and elevated risk of completed suicide. Over the past decade, epidemiologic research has clarified the prevalence of comorbid mood disorders in substance-dependent individuals, overturning previous assumptions that depression in these patients is simply an artifact of intoxication and/or withdrawal, therefore requiring no treatment. However, our understanding of the bidirectional relationships between mood and substance use disorders in terms of their course(s) of illness and prognoses remains limited. Like-wise, strikingly little treatment research exists to guide clinical decision making in co-occurring mood and substance use disorders, given their high prevalence and public health burden. Here we overview what is known and the salient gaps of knowledge where data might enhance diagnosis and treatment of these complicated patients.

Clinical correlates of sustained response to individual drugs used in naturalistic treatment of patients with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

To report use and treatment success rates of medications for bipolar disorder as a function of patients' clinical characteristics.

METHOD

Outpatients with bipolar illness diagnosed by SCID were rated by research assistants on the NIMH-LCM and those who had an good response for at least 6months (much or very much improved on the CGI-BP) were considered responders (treatment "success"). Clinical characteristics associated with treatment response in the literature were examined for how often a drug was in a successful regimen when a given characteristic was either present or absent.

RESULTS

Lithium was less successful in those with histories of rapid cycling, substance abuse, or (surprisingly) a positive parental history of mood disorders. Valproate was less successful in those with ≥20 prior episodes. Lamotrigine (LTG) was less successful in those with a parental history of mood disorders or in BP-I compared to BP-II disorder. Antidepressants (ADs) had low success rates, especially in those with a history of anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines had low success rates in those with child abuse, substance use, or ≥20 episodes. Atypical antipsychotics were less successful in the presence of rapid cycling, ≥20 prior episodes, or a greater number of poor prognosis factors.

CONCLUSION

Success rates reflect medications used in combination with an average of two other drugs during naturalistic treatment and thus should be considered exploratory. However, the low long-term success rates of drugs (even when used in combination with others) that occurred in the presence of many very common clinical characteristics of bipolar illness speak to the need for the development of alternative treatment strategies.

Is There a Bipolar Prodrome Among Children and Adolescents?

Bipolar disorder in youth substantially impairs behavior, family, and social functioning and interferes with developmental course. There is increasing interest in defining a bipolar prodrome similar to that reported in early-onset psychosis that will allow for earlier intervention and reduction in overall morbidity and mortality. Several lines of research have addressed this important issue including studies of offspring of bipolar parents, high-risk cohorts, and longitudinal follow-up of subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD), ADHD, and bipolar spectrum disorder. The development and validation of bipolar prodrome rating scales also shows promise. Recent attempts to intervene at earlier stages of bipolar disorder have led to some positive outcomes. However, a controversy remains concerning the identification and management of the earliest symptoms. Further research is needed to fully validate a bipolar prodrome and to determine the optimal course of action at various stages of illness.

Age associations with neural processing of reward anticipation in adolescents with bipolar disorders

Reward/behavioral approach system hypersensitivity is implicated in bipolar disorders (BD) and in normative development during adolescence. Pediatric onset of BD is associated with a more severe illness course. However, little is known about neural processing of rewards in adolescents with BD or developmental (i.e., age) associations with activation of these neural systems. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap. The present sample included 21 adolescents with BD and 26 healthy adolescents, ages 13 to 19. Participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol using the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task. Behavioral performance was similar between groups. Group differences in BOLD activation during target anticipation and feedback anticipation periods of the task were examined using whole-brain analyses, as were group differences in age effects. During both target anticipation and feedback anticipation, adolescents with BD, compared to adolescents without psychopathology, exhibited decreased engagement of frontal regions involved in cognitive control (i.e., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Healthy adolescents exhibited age-related decreases, while adolescents with BD exhibited age-related increases, in activity of other cognitive control frontal areas (i.e., right inferior frontal gyrus), suggesting altered development in the BD group. Longitudinal research is needed to examine potentially abnormal development of cognitive control during reward pursuit in adolescent BD and whether early therapeutic interventions can prevent these potential deviations from normative development.

Treatment of Bipolar Depression: Evolving Recommendations

Bipolar depression is the most common and difficult-to-treat phase of bipolar disorder. Antidepressants for unipolar depression are among the most widely used drugs, but recent data and meta-analyses indicate a lack of efficacy. Many of the drugs discussed here are graded provisionally for the strength of the findings in the literature, safety and tolerability, and likely utility of use in patients with bipolar disorder. Successful long-term treatment of bipolar depression is critical to preventing illness-related morbidity, disability, cognitive decline, suicide, and premature loss of years of life expectancy largely from the excess medical mortality associated with cardiovascular disorders.

Factors related to suicidal behavior in patients with bipolar disorder: the effect of mixed features on suicidality

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to investigate various risk factors of suicidal behaviors, including the mixed features specifier, in patients with bipolar disorder.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed medical charts from 2005 to 2014. A total of 334 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision were enrolled. Subjects were categorized into two groups according to their history of suicidal behavior and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the groups were compared, including the mixed features specifier. We reevaluated the index episode using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria and classified subjects into an index episode with mixed features group and an index episode without mixed features group. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate significant risk factors associated with suicidal behavior.

RESULTS

Suicidal behavior had an independent relationship to mixed features at the index episode using DSM-5 criteria [odds ratio (OR)=3.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57-7.34] and number of previous depressive episodes (OR=1.62; 95% CI: 1.34-1.95) in bipolar patients. The mixed feature specifier was the strongest risk factor for suicidal behavior in the present study.

CONCLUSIONS

This study may help clinicians understand potential risk factors and manage bipolar disorders with suicidal behaviors. Clinicians should carefully monitor patients with bipolar disorder who exhibit numerous depressive episodes or mixed features for suicidal behavior.

Lipid peroxidation biomarkers in adolescents with or at high-risk for bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Prior work suggests that adult bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation. This exploratory study examined markers of lipid and protein oxidation and inflammation in adolescents with and at varying risk for BD type I (BD-I).

METHODS

Blood was obtained from four groups of adolescents (9-20 years of age): (1) healthy comparison subjects with no personal or family history of psychiatric disorders (n=13), (2) subjects with no psychiatric diagnosis and at least one parent with BD-I ('high-risk', n=15), (3) subjects with at least one parent with BD-I and a diagnosis of depressive disorder not-otherwise-specified ('ultra-high-risk', n=20), and (4) first-episode patients exhibiting mixed or manic symptoms that received a diagnosis of BD-I (n=16). Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation (LPH, 4-HNE, 8-ISO), protein carbonyl, and inflammation (IL-1α-β, IL-6, IL-10, IFNγ, TNFα) were assessed using analysis of variance and covariance models.

RESULTS

LPH was lower in adolescents with fully syndromal BD than controls, while LPH levels in the at-risk groups were between healthy controls and fully syndromal BD. Post-hoc analysis showed a non-significant increase in the (4-HNE+8-ISO)/LPH ratio suggesting a potential conversion of LPH into late-stage markers of lipid peroxidation. There were no significant differences among protein carbonyl content and inflammatory markers.

CONCLUSIONS

In adolescents, fully syndromal BD is associated with significant reductions in LPH levels, and LPH levels decrease along the spectrum of risk for BD-I. Quantifying lipid peroxidation in longitudinal studies may help clarify the role of LPH in BD risk progression.

Suicide attempts in bipolar disorders: comprehensive review of 101 reports

OBJECTIVE

Assess reported risk of suicide attempts by patients with bipolar disorder (BD).

METHOD

Systematic searching yielded 101 reports from 22 countries (79 937 subjects). We analyzed for risk (%) and incidence rates (%/year) of attempts, comparing sex and diagnostic types, including by meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Attempt risk averaged 31.1% [CI: 27.9-34.3] of subjects, or 4.24 [3.78-4.70]%/year. In BD-I (43 studies) and BD-II subjects (30 studies), risks (29.9%, 31.4%) and incidence rates (4.01, 4.11%/year) were similar and not different by meta-analysis. Among women vs. men, risks (33.7% vs. 25.5%) and incidence (4.50 vs. 3.21%/year) were greater (also supported by meta-analysis: RR = 1.35 [CI: 1.25-1.45], P < 0.0001). Neither measure was related to reporting year, % women/study, or to onset or current age. Risks were greater with longer exposure, whereas incidence rates decreased with longer time at risk, possibly through 'dilution' by longer exposure.

CONCLUSION

This systematic update of international experience underscores high risks of suicide attempts among patients with BD (BD-I = BD-II; women > men). Future studies should routinely include exposure times and incidence rates by diagnostic type and sex for those who attempt suicide or not.

Discriminating Between Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

Rates of misdiagnosis between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder have been reported to be substantial, and the consequence of such misdiagnosis is likely to be a delay in achieving effective control of symptoms, in some cases spanning many years. Particularly in the midst of a depressive episode, or early in the illness course, it may be challenging to distinguish the 2 mood disorders purely on the basis of cross-sectional features. To date, no useful biological markers have been reliably shown to distinguish between bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.

Using admixture analysis to examine birth-cohort effects on age at onset of bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

It is suggested that age at onset (AAO) of bipolar I disorder (BP-I) is decreasing. We tested for a birth-cohort effect on AAO using admixture analysis.

METHOD

A clinical sample of 3896 BP-I cases was analysed using two approaches: (i) in a subsample with untruncated AAO × birth year distribution (n = 1865), we compared the best-fitting model for the observed AAO in patients born ≤1960 and >1960, (ii) to control for potential confounders, two separate subsamples born ≤1960 and >1960 were matched for age at interview (n = 250), and a further admixture analysis was undertaken.

RESULTS

The two approaches indicated that the proportion of cases in the early AAO category was significantly greater in cases born >1960; manic onsets were also more frequent in the early onset BP-I cases born >1960.

CONCLUSION

The decrease in AAO of BP-I in recent birth-cohorts appears to be associated with an increase in the proportion of cases in the early onset subgroup; not with a decrease in the mean AAO in each putative subgroup. This could indicate temporal changes in exposure to risk factors for mania.

Early interventions for youths at high risk for bipolar disorder: a developmental approach

In recent decades, ongoing research programmes on primary prevention and early identification of bipolar disorder (BD) have been developed. The aim of this article is to review the principal forms of evidence that support preventive interventions for BD in children and adolescents and the main challenges associated with these programmes. We performed a literature review of the main computerised databases (MEDLINE, PUBMED) and a manual search of the literature relevant to prospective and retrospective studies of prodromal symptoms, premorbid stages, risk factors, and early intervention programmes for BD. Genetic and environmental risk factors of BD were identified. Most of the algorithms used to measure the risk of developing BD and the early interventions programmes focused on the familial risk. The prodromal signs varied greatly and were age dependent. During adolescence, depressive episodes associated with genetic or environmental risk factors predicted the onset of hypomanic/manic episodes over subsequent years. In prepubertal children, the lack of specificity of clinical markers and difficulties in mood assessment were seen as impeding preventive interventions at these ages. Despite encouraging results, biomarkers have not thus far been sufficiently validated in youth samples to serve as screening tools for prevention. Additional longitudinal studies in youths at high risk of developing BD should include repeated measures of putative biomarkers. Staging models have been developed as an integrative approach to specify the individual level of risk based on clinical (e.g. prodromal symptoms and familial history of BD) and non-clinical (e.g. biomarkers and neuroimaging) data. However, there is still a lack of empirically validated studies that measure the benefits of using these models to design preventive intervention programmes.

Bipolar risk and mental imagery susceptibility in a representative sample of Chinese adults residing in the community

BACKGROUND

We need to better understand the cognitive factors associated with risk for bipolar disorders. Recent research suggests that increased susceptibility to mental imagery may be one such factor. However, since this research was primarily conducted with Western students and at a single time-point, it is not known whether the relationship between imagery susceptibility and bipolar symptoms exists across cultures or within the general community, or whether this relationship remains stable over time.

AIM

This study evaluated whether Chinese adults identified as being at high (HR) versus low (LR) risk of developing bipolar disorders showed greater mental imagery susceptibility. We aimed to test whether such a relationship was stable over time by measuring imagery characteristics at baseline and at the 7-week follow-up.

METHOD

This prospective study recruited a community sample of N = 80 Chinese adults screened for the absence of neurotic and psychotic disorders. The sample was split into HR (n = 18) and LR (n = 62) groups at baseline based on a criterion cut-off score on a measure of hypomania, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). Participants completed measures of imagery susceptibility and its impact: the Spontaneous Use of Imagery Scale (SUIS) and the Impact of Future Events Scale (IFES), at baseline and 7 weeks later.

RESULTS

HR group reported greater tendency to use imagery in daily life (SUIS) and greater emotional impact of prospective imagery (IFES) than LR group at baseline. These results remained stable at follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This study provides preliminary evidence for increased susceptibility to mental imagery in individuals at high risk of bipolar disorders recruited from a community sample of Chinese adults. This extends previous research in Western student samples suggesting that imagery (both levels of use and its emotional impact) may be a cognitive factor with cross-cultural relevance that is stable over time.

More illness in offspring of bipolar patients from the U.S. compared to Europe

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that patients with bipolar disorder from the United States have an earlier age of onset and a more difficult course of illness than those from Germany and the Netherlands. These characteristics were related to a greater family burden of psychiatric illness and the experience of more psychosocial adversity in childhood. We hypothesized that this greater illness burden would extend to the offspring of the US patients.

METHODS

968 outpatients (average age 41) with bipolar illness gave informed consent for participation in a treatment outcome network and filled out a detailed questionnaire about their illness and family history of illness, including whether their offspring had a diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol or substance abuse, suicide attempt or "other" illness. Of those with children, 356 were from the US and 132 were from Europe.

RESULTS

Compared to the Europeans, offspring of patients from the US had significantly (p<0.001) more depression, bipolar disorder, drug abuse, and "other" illnesses. The number of illnesses in the offspring was related to the bipolar parent being from the US, having had childhood adversity, more than 20 prior episodes, and more parental psychiatric illness.

CONCLUSIONS

While the findings are limited by their basis on self report, the distribution of the percentages in the US offspring are similar to those of Axelson et al. (2015) who used direct interviews. The higher burden of illness in the offspring and their in direct progenitors from the US compared to Europe warrant new attempts at better treatment and prevention.

Associations of age with reward delay discounting and response inhibition in adolescents with bipolar disorders

OBJECTIVES

Bipolar disorders' (BD) onset before age 18 is a potential marker for a more severe illness course. Adolescence is also a period of significant normative maturation of inhibitory control and reward-relevant decision-making processes, such as decreased delay discounting (i.e., decreased preference for smaller, immediate versus larger, delayed rewards). Adults with BD exhibit elevated delay discounting rates. Very little is known about developmental changes in delay discounting in adolescents with BD, or about associations between inhibitory control and delay discounting in BD. The present study addresses these questions.

METHODS

The sample included 78 participants, ages 13 to 23, with BD or without history of mental illness. Group differences and group by age interaction effects on delay discounting (32 BD, 32 controls with valid responses), probability discounting (34 BD, 37 controls) and inhibitory control indices (34 BD, 38 controls) were assessed.

RESULTS

Among healthy controls, less discounting of delayed rewards was associated with older age, whereas adolescents with BD did not show age-related associations. There were no group differences in probability discounting or inhibitory control.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional nature of the study cannot fully rule out the less likely interpretation of group differences in cohort effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The lack of age-related improvement in delay tolerance in BD suggests disrupted development of executive control processes within reward contexts, which in turn may contribute to understanding more severe course of pediatric onset BD. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine delay discounting in relation to maturation of neural reward systems among adolescents with BD.

Time to lack of persistence with pharmacological treatment among patients with current depressive episodes: a natural study with 1-year follow-up

INTRODUCTION

Medication nonadherence remains a big challenge for depressive patients. This study aims to assess and compare the medication persistence between unipolar depression (UD) and bipolar depression (BD).

METHODS

A total of 146 UD and 187 BD patients were recruited at their first index prescription. Time to lack of persistence with pharmacological treatment (defined as a gap of at least 60 days without taking any medication) was calculated, and clinical characteristics were collected. Final diagnosis was made at the end of 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 101 (69.2%) UD and 126 (67.4%) BD patients discontinued the treatment, with a median duration of 36 days and 27 days, respectively. No significant difference was found between UD and BD in terms of time to lack of persistence with pharmacological treatment. The highest discontinuation rate (>40%) occurred in the first 3 months for both groups of patients. For UD patients, those with a higher risk of suicide (odds ratio [OR] =0.696, P=0.035) or comorbidity of any anxiety disorder (OR =0.159, P<0.001) were less likely to prematurely drop out (drop out within the first 3 months), while those with onset in the summer (OR =4.702, P=0.049) or autumn (OR =7.690, P=0.012) were more likely to prematurely drop out than those with onset in the spring (OR =0.159, P<0.001). For BD patients, being female (OR =2.250, P=0.012) and having a history of spontaneous remission or switch to hypomania (OR =2.470, P=0.004) were risk factors for premature drop out, while hospitalization (OR =0.304, P=0.023) and misdiagnosis as UD (OR =0.283, P<0.001) at the first index prescription were protective factors.

LIMITATION

Conservative definition of nonadherence, low representativeness of sample.

CONCLUSION

Treatment discontinuation was frequently seen in patients with UD or BD, especially in the first 3 months of treatment. In spite of the similar pattern of medication persistence, UD and BD differ from each other in predictors of premature drop out.

Long-term Safety of Asenapine in Pediatric Patients Diagnosed With Bipolar I Disorder: A 50-Week Open-Label, Flexible-Dose Trial

BACKGROUND

Sublingually administered asenapine was approved in March 2015 by the United States Food and Drug Administration for patients aged 10-17 years with an acute manic or mixed episode associated with bipolar I disorder (BP-1). This is the first long-term safety and tolerability study of asenapine in this population.

METHODS

Following the 3-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients aged 10-17 years with an acute manic or mixed episode associated with BP-1, patients could enroll in this flexible-dose (2.5-10 mg twice daily) open-label extension (OLE) study for an additional 50 weeks, conducted from August 2011 to September 2014 in the United States and Russia. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were assessed and predefined TEAEs of interest reported in addition to metabolic and anthropometric parameters. The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impressions scale in bipolar illness (CGI-BP) were used to assess effectiveness.

RESULTS

A total of 321 patients (lead-in study treatment: placebo, n = 80; asenapine, n = 241) were included; 267 (83.2 %) reported one or more TEAE and 181 (56.4 %) discontinued early, 48 (15.0 %) due to TEAEs. Of the predefined TEAEs of interest, combined somnolence/sedation/hypersomnia occurred most frequently (42.4 %) followed by oral hypoesthesia/dysgeusia (7.5 %). In total, 109 (34.8 %) patients experienced clinically significant weight gain (≥7 % increase). No clinically meaningful changes were noted for laboratory parameters measured. Eighteen patients met the criteria for new-onset metabolic syndrome (MBS) post-baseline during the extension study, whereas 10 patients who met MBS criteria at baseline did not meet MBS criteria at endpoint. A total of 12 patients met MBS at baseline and endpoint. Mean change in YMRS total score from OLE baseline was -9.2 points at week 50, and change in CGI-BP severity overall score was similar among all treatment groups (those who initially received asenapine and those who initially received placebo). After 26 weeks of treatment in the OLE, 79.2 % of patients were classified as YMRS 50 % responders relative to acute trial baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

Asenapine was generally well tolerated in pediatric patients with BP-1 during ≤50 weeks of open-label treatment; among predefined TEAEs of interest, the combination of somnolence/sedation/hypersomnia was the most common. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01349907.

Risk for emerging bipolar disorder, variants, and symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, now grown up

AIM: To determine the prevalence of bipolar disorder (BD) and sub-threshold symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through 14 years’ follow-up, when participants were between 21-24 years old.

METHODS: First, we examined rates of BD type I and II diagnoses in youth participating in the NIMH-funded Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA). We used the diagnostic interview schedule for children (DISC), administered to both parents (DISC-P) and youth (DISCY). We compared the MTA study subjects with ADHD (n = 579) to a local normative comparison group (LNCG, n = 289) at 4 different assessment points: 6, 8, 12, and 14 years of follow-ups. To evaluate the bipolar variants, we compared total symptom counts (TSC) of DSM manic and hypomanic symptoms that were generated by DISC in ADHD and LNCG subjects. Then we sub-divided the TSC into pathognomonic manic (PM) and non-specific manic (NSM) symptoms. We compared the PM and NSM in ADHD and LNCG at each assessment point and over time. We also evaluated the irritability as category A2 manic symptom in both groups and over time. Finally, we studied the irritability symptom in correlation with PM and NSM in ADHD and LNCG subjects.

RESULTS: DISC-generated BD diagnosis did not differ significantly in rates between ADHD (1.89%) and LNCG 1.38%). Interestingly, no participant met BD diagnosis more than once in the 4 assessment points in 14 years. However, on the symptom level, ADHD subjects reported significantly higher mean TSC scores: ADHD 3.0; LNCG 1.7; P < 0.001. ADHD status was associated with higher mean NSM: ADHD 2.0 vs LNCG 1.1; P < 0.0001. Also, ADHD subjects had higher PM symptoms than LNCG, with PM means over all time points of 1.3 ADHD; 0.9 LNCG; P = 0.0001. Examining both NSM and PM, ADHD status associated with greater NSM than PM. However, Over 14 years, the NSM symptoms declined and changed to PM over time (df 3, 2523; F = 20.1; P < 0.0001). Finally, Irritability (BD DSM criterion-A2) rates were significantly higher in ADHD than LNCG (χ² = 122.2, P < 0.0001), but irritability was associated more strongly with NSM than PM (df 3, 2538; F = 43.2; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Individuals with ADHD do not appear to be at significantly greater risk for developing BD, but do show higher rates of BD symptoms, especially NSM. The greater linkage of irritability to NSM than to PM suggests caution when making BD diagnoses based on irritability alone as one of 2 (A-level) symptoms for BD diagnosis, particularly in view of its frequent presentation with other psychopathologies.

A latent class analysis of parental bipolar disorder: Examining associations with offspring psychopathology

Bipolar disorder (BD) is highly heterogeneous, and course variations are associated with patient outcomes. This diagnostic complexity challenges identification of patients in greatest need of intervention. Additionally, course variations have implications for offspring risk. First, latent class analysis (LCA) categorized parents with BD based on salient illness characteristics: BD type, onset age, polarity of index episode, pole of majority of episodes, rapid cycling, psychosis, anxiety comorbidity, and substance dependence. Fit indices favored three parental classes with some substantively meaningful patterns. Two classes, labeled "Earlier-Onset Bipolar-I" (EO-I) and "Earlier-Onset Bipolar-II" (EO-II), comprised parents who had a mean onset age in mid-adolescence, with EO-I primarily BD-I parents and EO-II entirely BD-II parents. The third class, labeled "Later-Onset BD" (LO) had an average onset age in adulthood. Classes also varied on probability of anxiety comorbidity, substance dependence, psychosis, rapid cycling, and pole of majority of episodes. Second, we examined rates of disorders in offspring (ages 4-33, Mage=13.46) based on parental latent class membership. Differences emerged for offspring anxiety disorders only such that offspring of EO-I and EO-II parents had higher rates, compared to offspring of LO parents, particularly for daughters. Findings may enhance understanding of BD and its nosology.

Asenapine for the Acute Treatment of Pediatric Manic or Mixed Episode of Bipolar I Disorder

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate asenapine versus placebo in 403 patients aged 10 to 17 years with bipolar I disorder currently in manic or mixed episodes.

METHOD

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, international trial, patients were randomized 1:1:1:1 to placebo, asenapine 2.5, 5, or 10 mg b.i.d. (twice daily). Primary efficacy measure was change from baseline in Young-Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) total score at day 21. Analyses of patients with/without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with/without stimulant use were performed.

RESULTS

The mean difference in asenapine versus placebo in YMRS was -3.2 (p = .0008), -5.3 (p < .001), and -6.2 (p < .001) for asenapine 2.5, 5, and 10 mg b.i.d., respectively. Treatment-emergent adverse events with an incidence ≥5% and at least twice placebo were somnolence, sedation, hypoesthesia oral, paresthesia oral, and increased appetite. The asenapine groups had a higher incidence of ≥7% weight gain (range, 8.0%-12.0%) versus placebo (1.1%; p < .05). The mean change from baseline in fasting insulin was larger for patients treated with asenapine than those with placebo (asenapine 2.5 mg b.i.d.: 73.375 pmol/L; asenapine 5 mg b.i.d.: 114.042 pmol/L; asenapine 10 mg b.i.d.: 59.846 pmol/L; placebo: 3.690 pmol/L). The mean changes from baseline for lipid parameters and glucose were also larger in asenapine groups than in the placebo group. No safety differences were observed with respect to ADHD and stimulant use.

CONCLUSION

All asenapine doses versus placebo were superior based on change in YMRS at day 21. Asenapine was generally well tolerated in patients aged 10 to 17 years with bipolar I disorder in manic or mixed states. Increases in weight and fasting insulin were associated with asenapine. Clinical trial registration information-Efficacy and Safety of Asenapine Treatment for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01244815.

The Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials (LDAEP) in individuals at risk for developing bipolar disorders and schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES

The Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials (LDAEP) is considered as an indicator of central serotonergic activity. Alteration of serotonergic neurotransmission was reported in bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. In line with previous reports on clinically manifest disorders, we expected a weaker LDAEP in subjects at risk for bipolar disorders and schizophrenia compared to healthy controls.

METHODS

We analyzed LDAEP of individuals at risk for developing bipolar disorders (n=27), with high-risk status (n=74) and ultra-high-risk status for schizophrenia (n=86) and healthy controls (n=47).

RESULTS

The LDAEP did not differ between subjects at risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorders and controls. Among subjects without medication (n=122), the at-risk-bipolar group showed a trend towards a weaker LDAEP than both the high-risk and the ultra-high-risk groups for schizophrenia.

CONCLUSIONS

The LDAEP did not appear as a vulnerability marker for schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. This suggests that an altered LDAEP may not be measurable until the onset of clinically manifest disorder. However, the hypothesis that pathogenic mechanisms leading to bipolar disorders may differ from those leading to schizophrenia is supported.

SIGNIFICANCE

This is the first study investigating LDAEP in a population at risk for bipolar disorders.

Lithium in the Acute Treatment of Bipolar I Disorder: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

BACKGROUND

Lithium is a benchmark treatment for bipolar disorder in adults. Definitive studies of lithium in pediatric bipolar I disorder (BP-I) are lacking.

METHODS

This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of pediatric participants (ages 7-17 years) with BP-I/manic or mixed episodes compared lithium (n = 53) versus placebo (n = 28) for up to 8 weeks. The a priori primary efficacy measure was change from baseline to the end of study (week 8/ET) in the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score, based on last-observation-carried-forward analysis.

RESULTS

The change in YMRS score was significantly larger in lithium-treated participants (5.51 [95% confidence interval: 0.51 to 10.50]) after adjustment for baseline YMRS score, age group, weight group, gender, and study site (P = .03). Overall Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scores favored lithium (n = 25; 47% very much/much improved) compared with placebo (n = 6; 21% very much/much improved) at week 8/ET (P = .03). A statistically significant increase in thyrotropin concentration was seen with lithium (3.0 ± 3.1 mIU/L) compared with placebo (-0.1 ± 0.9 mIU/L; P < .001). There was no statistically significant between-group difference with respect to weight gain.

CONCLUSIONS

Lithium was superior to placebo in reducing manic symptoms in pediatric patients treated for BP-I in this clinical trial. Lithium was generally well tolerated in this patient population and was not associated with weight gain, distinguishing it from other agents commonly used to treat youth with bipolar disorder.

Affective Processing in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder and Offspring of Bipolar Parents

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by biased processing of emotional information. However, little research in this area has been conducted in youth with BD and at-risk individuals. The goal of this study was to determine whether children with BD displayed comparable or more severe manifestations of this bias relative to offspring of parents with BD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The sample (n = 57 children and adolescents) included 18 individuals with BD (age: 13.63 ± 2.99; 8 females), 16 offspring of parents with BD (age: 11.83 ± 2.96; 9 females) and 23 healthy controls (HC) (age: 12.789 ± 3.087; 8 females). All participants performed the Affective Go/No-Go (AGN) and the Rapid Visual Processing (RVP) tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).

RESULTS

Relative to HC, individuals with BD responded faster to correct trials and committed an elevated number of commission errors across all affective conditions of the AGN task. By contrast, BD offspring showed intact performance accuracy but quicker response times than HC. Post-hoc analyses revealed that this behavioral pattern was observed in BD offspring with mental health problems but not in healthy BD offspring. Overall, mean reaction times and total number of errors in the RVP task were comparable across groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In line with previous findings, subjects with BD encountered difficulties in processing affective information. The tendency toward faster but accurate responses to affective stimuli observed in BD offspring may be a marker of attentional bias toward affective information and constitute a vulnerability marker for mood disorder.

The genetics of early-onset bipolar disorder: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Early-onset bipolar disorder has been associated with a significantly worse prognosis than late-onset BD and has been hypothesized to be a genetically homogenous subset of BD. A sizeable number of studies have investigated early-onset BD through linkage-analyses, candidate-gene association studies, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and analyses of copy number variants (CNVs), but this literature has not yet been reviewed.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed database on articles published online before January 15, 2015 and after 1990. Separate searches were made for linkage studies, candidate gene-association studies, GWAS, and studies on CNVs.

RESULTS

Seventy-three studies were included in our review. There is a lack of robust positive findings on the genetics of early-onset BD in any major molecular genetics method.

LIMITATIONS

Early-onset populations were quite small in some studies. Variance in study methods hindered efforts to interpret results or conduct meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The field is still at an early phase for research on early-onset BD. The largely null findings mirror the results of most genetics research on BD. Although most studies were underpowered, the null findings could mean that early-onset BD may not be as genetically homogenous as has been hypothesized or even that early-onset BD does not differ genetically from adult-onset BD. Nevertheless, clinically the probabilistic developmental risk trajectories associated with early-onset that may not be primarily genetically determined continued to warrant scrutiny. Future research should dramatically expand sample sizes, use atheoretical research methods like GWAS, and standardize methods.

Childhood abuse, family history and stressors in older patients with bipolar disorder in relation to age at onset

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to explore the family history of psychiatric disorders, childhood abuse, and stressors in older patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) and the association of these variables with the age at onset of BD.

METHODS

The Questionnaire for Bipolar Disorder (QBP) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus) were obtained from 78 patients aged 60 and over to determine diagnosis, age at onset of the first affective episode, childhood abuse, family history of psychiatric disorders and past and recent stressful life events.

RESULTS

Increased family history of psychiatric disorders was the only factor associated with an earlier age at onset of BD. Less family history of psychiatric disorders and more negative stressors were significantly associated with a later age at onset of the first (hypo)manic episode.

LIMITATIONS

Age at onset, history of childhood abuse, and past stressful life events were assessed retrospectively. Family members of BD patients were not interviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that age at onset can define distinct BD phenotypes. More specifically there was a stronger heredity of BD and other psychiatric disorders in patients with an early age of onset of BD. Negative stressors may play a specific role in patients with a late age at onset of a first (hypo)manic episode.

Temperament and character profiles in bipolar I, bipolar II and major depressive disorder: Impact over illness course, comorbidity pattern and psychopathological features of depression

BACKGROUND

Studies comparing temperament and character traits between patients with mood disorders and healthy individuals have yielded variable results.

METHODS

The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was administered to 101 bipolar I (BP-I), 96 bipolar II (BP-II), 123 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, and 125 HS. A series of generalized linear models were performed in order to: (a) compare the TCI dimensions across groups; (b) test any effect of the TCI dimensions on clinical features of mood disorders; and (c) detect any association between TCI dimensions and the psychopathological features of a major depressive episode. Demographic and clinical variables were also included in the models as independent variables.

RESULTS

Higher Harm Avoidance was found in BP-II and MDD, but not in BP-I. Higher Self-Transcendence was found in BP-I. Our models also showed higher Self-Directedness in HS, either vs MDD or BP-II. No association was found between any TCI dimension and the severity of symptoms. Conversely, a positive association was found between Harm Avoidance and the overall burden of depressive episodes during lifetime.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design and the heterogeneity of the sample may be the main limitations of our study.

CONCLUSION

In general, our sample seems to support the view of a similar profile of temperament and character between MDD and BP-II, characterized by high Harm Avoidance and low Self-Directedness. In contrast, patients with BP-I only exhibit high Self-Transcendence, having a near-normal profile in terms of Harm Avoidance or Self-Directedness.

Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Predispose Youth to Accelerated Atherosclerosis and Early Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

In the 2011 "Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents," several medical conditions among youth were identified that predispose to accelerated atherosclerosis and early cardiovascular disease (CVD), and risk stratification and management strategies for youth with these conditions were elaborated. Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) among youth satisfy the criteria set for, and therefore merit inclusion among, Expert Panel tier II moderate-risk conditions. The combined prevalence of MDD and BD among adolescents in the United States is ≈10%, at least 10 times greater than the prevalence of the existing moderate-risk conditions combined. The high prevalence of MDD and BD underscores the importance of positioning these diseases alongside other pediatric diseases previously identified as moderate risk for CVD. The overall objective of this statement is to increase awareness and recognition of MDD and BD among youth as moderate-risk conditions for early CVD. To achieve this objective, the primary specific aims of this statement are to (1) summarize evidence that MDD and BD are tier II moderate-risk conditions associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and early CVD and (2) position MDD and BD as tier II moderate-risk conditions that require the application of risk stratification and management strategies in accordance with Expert Panel recommendations. In this scientific statement, there is an integration of the various factors that putatively underlie the association of MDD and BD with CVD, including pathophysiological mechanisms, traditional CVD risk factors, behavioral and environmental factors, and psychiatric medications.

Lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in people with bipolar disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Anxiety disorders are increasingly recognised as an important determinant of outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder. However, a reliable estimate of their prevalence is still missing, because the published prevalence of anxiety disorders in individuals with bipolar disorder varies widely. In this study, we aimed to quantify the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in individuals with bipolar disorder and compare it with rates in people without the disorder.

METHODS

We searched the Web of Knowledge and Medline (through the PubMed interface) for articles published in any language from the database inception dates up until June 1, 2014, using a combination of the word "bipolar" and search terms for anxiety disorders. We included studies that reported original data about the lifetime prevalence of DSM-III and DSM-IV anxiety disorders in adults with bipolar disorder that recruited participants irrespective of comorbidities and that used a validated diagnostic interview to establish the diagnoses of bipolar disorder and at least one anxiety disorder. We excluded studies that reported only the current prevalence or if we were unable to establish whether they described current or lifetime prevalence, and those with discrepancies in the data that could not be resolved by contacting the authors. We did a random-effects meta-analysis of lifetime prevalence of DSM-III and DSM-IV anxiety disorders in adults with bipolar disorder, in which we quantified the lifetime prevalence of any anxiety disorder in people with bipolar disorder. We compared this prevalence in people with bipolar I disorder versus those with bipolar II disorder, and in people with bipolar disorder versus population controls.

FINDINGS

Data from 40 studies, including 14 914 individuals from North America, Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia, indicate that the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in individuals with bipolar disorder is 45% (95% CI 40-51). Direct comparison in five samples with a total of 1378 individuals with bipolar disorder and 56 812 population controls without bipolar disorder indicates a three-fold increase (risk ratio [RR] 3·22 [95% CI 2·41-4·29]; p<0·0001) in the prevalence of anxiety disorders in those with bipolar disorder. 13 studies that included both individuals with bipolar I disorder (n=4270) and those with bipolar II disorder (n=1939) showed no difference in the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders between these subtypes (RR 1·07 [95% CI 0·96-1·20]; p=0·223). We noted significant heterogeneity among included studies that was not accounted for by reported differences in study characteristics.

INTERPRETATION

People with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of anxiety disorders compared with those without bipolar disorder; nearly one in two has an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Anxiety disorders should therefore be assessed alongside the mood symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder.

FUNDING

Capital Health Research Fund.

Low self-compassion in patients with bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Emerging research suggests that low self-compassion may be linked to psychopathology and in particular depressive symptoms. To further elucidate this topic, the present study investigated self-compassion in patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD).

METHOD

Thirty remitted BD patients were compared to thirty age- and sex matched controls on the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). The BD patients also completed the Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM), the Major Depression Inventory (MDI), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI-10) and further reported their illness history on a survey sheet.

RESULTS

The BD patients were found to have significantly lower self-compassion than controls. In addition, self-compassion correlated positively and significantly with life-satisfaction but no significant correlations with functional impairment, internalized stigma or frequency of past affective episodes were found.

LIMITATIONS

The small sample size entailed reduced statistical power.

CONCLUSIONS

By suggesting that self-compassion is reduced and possibly linked to life-satisfaction in BD, the findings highlight a potential vulnerability meriting further investigations.

Mood disturbance in adolescents screened by the Mood Disorder Questionnaire predicts poorer social adjustment

PURPOSE

Early-onset bipolar disorder is associated with a more severe illness course and poorer outcome. Its identification in adolescents may provide the opportunity for adequate intervention to improve global functioning and long-term prognosis. Thus, this study aimed to screen mood disturbance in a sample of high school students using Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and follow up their adaptive functioning 1 year later.

METHODS

In the first year, adolescents aged 15-17 years old from a Taiwanese senior high school (N = 1,151) completed the Chinese version of MDQ, the Impulsiveness Scale, and a set of questions about risky behaviors. A subgroup of respondents (N = 184) picked randomly were interviewed to validate the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In the second year, the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents was applied for the same sample of subjects for the measurement of their adaptive functions.

RESULTS

The intraclass correlation coefficient and the Cronbach α coefficient of the MDQ were .68 and .61, respectively. MDQ score of at least 7 showed modest sensitivity (.57) and specificity (.64) for bipolar disorder. Higher MDQ score predicted risky behaviors in adolescents at baseline measurement. MDQ score was found significantly correlated with Impulsiveness Scale total score. In follow-up evaluation, participants with an MDQ score of ≥7 had poorer social adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that untreated mood disturbance among adolescents leads to impaired social adaptive functioning in the next year. The application of MDQ in adolescents may help clinicians in early intervention for their emotional disturbance.

Widespread white matter tract aberrations in youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder

Few studies have examined multiple measures of white matter (WM) differences in youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder (FR-BD). To investigate WM in the FR-BD group, we used three measures of WM structure and two methods of analysis. We used fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) to analyze diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) findings in 25 youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder, defined as having both a parent with BD and mood dysregulation, and 16 sex-, age-, and IQ-matched healthy controls. We conducted a whole brain voxelwise analysis using tract based spatial statistics (TBSS). Subsequently, we conducted a complementary atlas-based, region-of-interest analysis using Diffeomap to confirm results seen in TBSS. When TBSS was used, significant widespread between-group differences were found showing increased FA, increased AD, and decreased RD in the FR-BD group in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, cingulate, superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (SFOF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and corpus callosum. Atlas-based analysis confirmed significant between-group differences, with increased FA and decreased RD in the FR-BD group in the SLF, cingulum, and SFOF. We found significant widespread WM tract aberrations in youth with familial risk for BD using two complementary methods of DTI analysis.

Correlation between Peripheral Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Hippocampal Volume in Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder

Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a serious mental disorder that affects the development and emotional growth of affected patients. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is recognized as one of the possible markers of the framework and its evolution. Abnormalities in BDNF signaling in the hippocampus could explain the cognitive decline seen in patients with TB. Our aim with this study was to evaluate possible changes in hippocampal volume in children and adolescents with BD and associate them to serum BDNF. Subjects included 30 patients aged seven to seventeen years from the ProCAB (Program for Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder). We observed mean right and left hippocampal volumes of 41910.55 and 41747.96 mm(3), respectively. No statistically significant correlations between peripheral BDNF levels and hippocampal volumes were found. We believe that the lack of correlation observed in this study is due to the short time of evolution of BD in children and adolescents. Besides studies with larger sample sizes to confirm the present findings and longitudinal assessments, addressing brain development versus a control group and including drug-naive patients in different mood states may help clarify the role of BDNF in the brain changes consequent upon BD.

The Use of Cannabis as a Predictor of Early Onset of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide Attempts

Introduction. Bipolar disorder (BD) implies risk of suicide. The age at onset (AAO) of BD carries prognostic significance. Substance abuse may precede the onset of BD and cannabis is the most common illicit drug used. The main goal of this study is to review the association of cannabis use as a risk factor for early onset of BD and for suicide attempts. Materials and Methods. PubMed database was searched for articles using key words “bipolar disorder,” “suicide attempts,” “cannabis,” “marijuana,” “early age at onset,” and “early onset.” Results. The following percentages in bipolar patients were found: suicide attempts 3.6–42%; suicide attempts and substance use 5–60%; suicide attempts and cannabis use 15–42%. An early AAO was associated with cannabis misuse. The mean age of the first manic episode in individuals with and without BD and cannabis use disorder (CUD) was 19.5 and 25.1 years, respectively. The first depressive episode was at 18.5 and 24.4 years, respectively. Individuals misusing cannabis showed increased risk of suicide. Discussion. Cannabis use is associated with increased risk of suicide attempts and with early AAO. However, the effect of cannabis at the AAO and suicide attempts is not clear.

Verbal abuse, like physical and sexual abuse, in childhood is associated with an earlier onset and more difficult course of bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

Physical or sexual abuse in childhood is known to have an adverse effect on the course of bipolar disorder, but the impact of verbal abuse has not been well elucidated.

METHODS

We examined the occurrence and frequency (never to frequently) of each type of abuse in childhood in 634 US adult outpatients (average age 40 years). Patients gave informed consent and provided information about their age of onset and course of illness prior to study entry.

RESULTS

Verbal abuse alone occurred in 24% of the patients. Similar to a history of physical or sexual abuse, a history of verbal abuse was related to an earlier age of onset of bipolar disorder and other poor prognosis characteristics, including anxiety and substance abuse comorbidity, rapid cycling, and a deteriorating illness course as reflected in ratings of increasing frequency or severity of mania and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

A lasting adverse impact of the experience of verbal abuse in childhood is suggested by its relationship to an earlier age of onset of bipolar disorder, other poor prognosis factors, and a deteriorating course of illness. Verbal abuse is a common confound in comparison groups defined by a lack of physical or sexual abuse. Ameliorating the impact of verbal abuse on the unfolding course of bipolar disorder appears to be an important target of therapeutics and worthy of attempts at primary and secondary prophylaxis. Family-based treatments that focus on psychoeducation, enhancing intra-family communication, and coping skills may be particularly helpful.

Cognitive impairment in first-episode mania: a systematic review of the evidence in the acute and remission phases of the illness

There is evidence of cognitive impairment that persists in the remission phase of bipolar disorder; however, the extent of the deficits that occur from the first onset of the disorder remains unclear. This is the first systematic review on cognitive functioning in the early stages of bipolar I disorder. The aim of the study was to identify the patterns and degree of cognitive impairment that exists from first-episode mania. Three electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO and PubMed) were systematically searched for studies published from January 1980 to June 2014. Eligible studies were separated into two groups: acute and remission. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale was utilised to measure the quality of the included studies. A total of seven studies (three acute and four remission), including 230 first-episode mania and 345 healthy control participants, were eligible for the review. The studies in the acute phase only examined aspects of executive functioning, with impairments identified in cognitive flexibility, though not in response inhibition and verbal fluency relative to healthy controls. The most consistent finding during the remission phase was a deficit in working memory, whereas in the other domains, the findings were equivocal. Non-verbal memory and verbal fluency were not impacted in remission from first-episode mania. In conclusion, deficits are present in some but not all areas of cognitive functioning during the early stages of bipolar I disorder. Further research is warranted to understand the longitudinal trajectory of change from first-episode mania.