EVALUATION OF BRUXISM AND ITS RELATION WITH TREATMENT REGIMENS AMONG REMITTED BIPOLAR PATIENTS

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of bruxism and treatment regimens among remitted bipolar patients. Subjects and methods: The total case group included 222 adult patients with BD. Diagnosis of bruxism was based upon the on ‘self-reports’ plus the outcome from the clinical examinations. Results: The sample consisted of 112 (50.5%) bipolar patients with bruxism and 110 (49.5%) without bruxism. Remitted bipolar patients who were on mood stabilizer plus atypical antipsychotic treatment had lower bruxism rates than patients on other than bipolar patients on mood stabilizer treatment regimen (p=0.04) and bipolar patients on polypharmacy (p=0.01). Conclusion: Our findings have supported the existence of psychotropic drug-bruxism relation and atypical antipsychotic related therapeutic effect among bipolar patients

Clinical, Biological and Genetic Predictors of Lithium Treatment Response

Lithium was discovered by the Swedish Arfvedson at the beginning of the 1800s and began to be used in psychiatry for the past 1950s. Lithium, as a mood stabilizer, is the gold standard and first choice treatment agent for the treatment of bipolar disorders in adults. However, it is mostly difficult in clinical practice to predict which patient would respond to the treatment with lithium well due to the huge variation in patients’ characteristics. Clinicians seem to focus primarily on identifying a clinical phenotype to foresee lithium treatment response. In this article, researches on predictors of the lithium treatment response were reviewed and evaluated in four titles as clinical, biochemical, neuroimaging and genetic predictors

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results This analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p < 0.01. Conclusion A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed.Peer reviewe

Reconstructing the diagnostic framework of bipolarity

Diagnostic classification of chronic psychiatric disorders is a significant challenge for psychiatry. Current diagnostic manuals separately define each disorder in different categories depending on the core symptoms of the disease. However, convincing body of evidence indicates that there is a continuum between mood and psychotic disorders, prototypically bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. From this background the diagnostic classification of chronic psychiatric conditions has been revisited at different levels. First, overlapping symptoms and the continuum between mood and psychotic disorders were explored. Secondly, neurobiological mechanisms, including degeneration and inflammation - considering bipolar disorder as a systemic disease - have been investigated. Finally, the findings in each chapter are discussed and a hybrid classification model is proposed

AFFECTIVE TEMPERAMENT AND SEASONALITY IN BIPOLAR DISORDER

Background: Both affective temperaments and seasonality impact on the illness course in bipolar disorder (BD). This exploratory study aims to investigate the link between seasonality and affective temperament in BD. Subjects and methods: Sixty-six euthymic patients with BD-I were recruited. The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and Temperament Evaluation Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire version scale (TEMPS-A) were applied. Results: The seasonal BD rate was 39.4% (n=26). Depressive and anxious temperament scores were higher in patients with seasonality. The SPAQ total scores were also associated with depressive, cyclothymic, and anxious affective temperament scores. Conclusion: Our findings warrant further investigation to understanding the complex interaction between seasonality, mood regulation, and temperament collectively moderating illness course in BD. This study implies that affective temperament may have some value in discerning the link between seasonality and illness course in BD

Oral Health in Psychiatric Patients

Although oral health is a major determinant of general health and quality of life, it has a low priority in the context of mental illness. Chronic mental illness and its treatment carry inherent risks for significant oral diseases. Both the disease itself and its various pharmacologic management modalities lead to a range of oral complications and side effects, with caries, periodontal disease and xerostomia being encountered most frequently. Older age, female gender, length of hospitalization, duration of mental illness, psychiatric diagnosis are the most discussed predictors for adverse dental outcomes in the reviewed studies. Poor oral hygiene, higher intake of carbonates, smoking, poor perception of oral health self-needs, length of psychiatric disorder, length of psychotropic treatment, and less access to dental care pose at high risk for poor oral health among this population. This article emphasizes the importance of preventive dentistry programs to improve dental healthcare psychiatric chronic inpatients and the signifance of bridging dental health education to psychiatric rehabilitation programs. In this review, general information concerning the oral manifestations of mental illness, effect of medication of mental illness on oral health, the factors affecting oral health among this special population have been provided

Metabolic syndrome prevalence in different affective temperament profiles in bipolar-I disorder

Objective: Temperament originates in the brain structure, and individual differences are attributable to neural and physiological function differences. It has been suggested that temperament is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) markers, which may be partly mediated by lifestyle and socioeconomic status. Therefore, we aim to compare MetS prevalence between different affective temperamental profiles for each season in bipolar patients. Methods: Twenty-six bipolar type-I patients of a specialized outpatient mood disorder unit were evaluated for MetS according to new definition proposed by the International Diabetes Federation in the four seasons of a year. Temperament was assessed using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego - autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A). Results: The proportions of MetS were 19.2, 23.1, 34.6, and 38.5% in the summer, fall, spring, and winter, respectively. Only depressive temperament scores were higher (p = 0.002) during the winter in patients with MetS. Conclusion: These data suggest that depressive temperament profiles may predispose an individual to the development of MetS in the winter

Signs of Bruxism and Temporomandibular Disorders among Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Background/Aim: There is an abundance of data regarding temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and bruxism specific to patients with bipolar disorder (BD). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of TMD signs in subjects with and without BD. Material and Methods: The case group included 242 adult patients (103 men and 139 women) with BD and and the control group included 187 subjects without BD (89 men and 98 women). The case and control groups were compared for the presence of bruxism and the signs of TMD including muscle and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tenderness to palpation, limitation of maximum mouth opening, and TMJ sounds. Results: The frequency of at least one sign of TMD was significantly higher in patients with BD (191 ⁄242, 78.9%) than the control group (95 ⁄187, 50.8%) (p<0.001). Statistically significant differences were found between the case and control groups in terms of joint pain on palpation (p<0.05), masseter muscle pain on palpation (p<0.01), joint clicks (p<0.001) and limited mouth opening (p<0.001). Bruxism was significantly higher in patients with BD (49.6%) than the control group (19.8%) (p<0.001). Conclusions: Patients with BD appear to be more prone to having TMD signs and bruxism compared to the control group, but this comorbidity should be better understood by further studies

Evaluation of Antidepressant Choices for the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Objective: Antidepressants are thought to cause manic switches and accelerate cycling in the treatment of bipolar depression. On the other hand, other evidence suggests that antidepressant neither cause manic switches, nor are effective for the treatment of bipolar depression. This study aimed to assess clinicians' attitudes towards antidepressant choices for treatment of bipolar depressive episodes and subthreshold depression. Methods: Medical records of 784 patients with bipolar disorder were investigated retrospectively. Antidepressants were used in 55 of 263 depressive episodes (20.9%). Data regarding 78 episodes (23 subthreshold symptoms, 55 episodes) of 68 patients (54 female, 14 male; mean age: 39.64 +/- 10.99) were obtained. Descriptive statistics were the evaluation method. Results: In our department, antidepressants were used in 20.9% of the patients in the treatment of bipolar depression. One third of patients receiving antidepressant prescriptions had a history of manic switch, 5 (21.7%) of the patients with subthreshold symptoms receiving antidepressant prescriptions had a history of manic switch. However, manic switch occurred in only 5 (6.4%) patients. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were the most common cause (58.3%) of the manic switch in patients with a history of manic switch. Discussion: Clinicians are still using antidepressants in the treatment of bipolar depression. Antidepressants targeting many neurotransmitter systems can be used in the first line treatments and antidepressants can be used even in patients with a history of manic switch. This controversial topic should be studied prospectively with larger samples and it must be clarified whether this phenomenon is a natural course of the disorder or triggered by antidepressant medications