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Citation
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Tundo A, Musetti L, Del Grande C, de Filippis R, Proietti L, Cambiali E, Franceschini C, Dell'osso L. Hum. Psychopharmacol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the short-term effectiveness and the short-term and long-term safety of acute antidepressant (AD) treatment of bipolar depression in a naturalistic setting.
METHODS: Patients with bipolar (n = 86) or unipolar (n = 111) depression were consecutively recruited and treated with AD (combined with mood stabilizer [MS] and/or second-generation antipsychotics in bipolar depression). Exclusion criteria were mixed depression, high mood instability, previous predominantly mixed depression (both bipolar and unipolar depression), rapid cycling course and previous switch AD-emerging (bipolar depression).
RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, no difference was found in remission, response and improvement rates between bipolar and unipolar depression. Concerning short-term safety, switching and suicidality did not differ significantly between the two groups, and no suicide attempt was observed. Concerning long-term safety, patients with bipolar depression had a significant reduction of depressive and total recurrences during the year of follow-up, compared to the year before entering the study, without significant changes in (hypo)mania and mixed depression recurrences, and suicide rates.
CONCLUSIONS: Acute AD treatment of bipolar depression is effective in the short-term and safe in the short- and long-term, when administered in combination with MSs and/or second-generation antipsychotics, with a low risk of switch, mixed depression and cycle acceleration.
Language: en |