Bipolar disorder: Balancing mood states early in course of illness effects long-term prognosis

ÅGREN H. BACKLUND L. Bipolar Disorder: Balancing Mood States Early in Course of Illness Effects Long-Term Prognosis. PHYSIOL. BEHAV. 00(0) 000-000, 2006. The importance of observing swings above euthymic normality in patients with affective disorders has been emphasized by many research groups. The concept of mood bipolarity has not only established a Bipolar II disorder (with only hypomania, not mania, but also opened up for discussion of a Bipolar Spectrum, that would necessitate treatment with a broader range of agents, i.e., not only antidepressants. In order to understand the determinants of the patterns of mood swings in individuals with bipolar disorder we have used a computerized life-charting technique to analyze a large amount of clinical information in 100 patients with bipolar mood swings. In a cross-sectional set-up, we demonstrate clear evidence of achieving a better long-term stabilization when starting patients on mood stabilizer early after the first evidence of the mood disorder.