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Unipolar Mania Reconsidered: Evidence from an Elderly Cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Kenneth I. Shulman  and
Mauricio Tohen
Kenneth I. Shulman
Affiliation:
Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
Mauricio Tohen
Affiliation:
Psychotic Disorders Program, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02178-9106, USA
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Abstract

Earlier studies have failed to differentiate the unipolar manic subtype from bipolar patients with both manic and depressive episodes. This retrospective cohort study of 50 elderly manic in-patients identified six patients (12%) who met strict criteria for a course of unipolar mania. Significant differences emerged in age at onset, with a mean of 41.2 years for unipolar mania compared with 64.7 years for the others. Consequently, clinical course was significantly longer, 27.7 v. 7.4 years. Elderly patients pursuing a unipolar manic course are among the very few elderly ‘bipolars’ whose illness begins early in life. Recent neuroradiological investigations and data from geriatric studies suggest that the concept of unipolar mania is worthy of further investigation.

Type
Short Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 164 , Issue 4 , April 1994 , pp. 547 - 549
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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