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Objective: In patients with bipolar disorder (BD), rapid cycling (RC) presents a risk for a more severe illness, while euthymia (EUT) has a better prognosis. This study focused on the progression of RC and EUT, which are contrasting phenomenology, and aimed to clarify the influence of patient backgrounds and prescription patterns on these different progressions, using a large sample from the first and second iterations of a multicenter treatment survey for BD in psychiatric clinics (MUSUBI). Methods: In the cross-sectional study (MUSUBI), a questionnaire based on a retrospective medical record survey of consecutive BD cases (N = 2,650) was distributed. The first survey was conducted in 2016, and the second one in 2017. The questionnaire collected information on patient backgrounds, current episodes, and clinical and prescribing characteristics. Results: In the first survey, 10.6% of the participants had RC and 3.6% had RC for two consecutive years, which correlated with BP I (Bipolar disorder type I), suicidal ideation, duration of illness, and the use of lithium carbonate and antipsychotic medications. Possible risk factors for switching to RC were comorbid developmental disorders and the prescription of anxiolytics and sleep medication. Moreover, 16.4% of the participants presented EUT in the first survey, and 11.0% presented EUT for two consecutive years. Possible factors for achieving EUT included older age; employment; fewer psychotic symptoms and comorbid personality disorders; fewer antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics, and more lithium prescriptions. Conclusion: RC and EUT generally exhibit conflicting characteristics, and the conflicting social backgrounds and factors contributing to their outcomes were distinctive. Understanding these clinical characteristics may be helpful in clinical practice for management of patients with BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder that causes recurrent manic and depressive episodes, leading to decreased levels of social functioning and suicide. Patients who require hospitalization due to exacerbation of bipolar disorder have been reported to subsequently have poor psychosocial functioning, and so there is a need to prevent hospitalization. On the other hand, there is a lack of evidence regarding predictors of hospitalization in real-world clinical practice. Methods: The multicenter treatment survey on bipolar disorder (MUSUBI) in Japanese psychiatric clinics was an observational study conducted to provide evidence regarding bipolar disorder in real-world clinical practice. Psychiatrists were asked, as part of a retrospective medical record survey, to fill out a questionnaire about patients with bipolar disorder who visited 176member clinics of the Japanese Association of Neuro-Psychiatric Clinics. Our study extracted baseline patient characteristics from records dated between September and October 2016, including comorbidities, mental status, duration of treatment, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score, and pharmacological treatment details. The incidence and predictors of hospitalization among patients with bipolar disorder over a 1-year period extending from that baseline to September-October 2017 were examined. Results: In total, 2,389 participants were included in our study, 3.06% of whom experienced psychiatric hospitalization over the course of 1 year from baseline. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of psychiatric hospitalization was correlated with bipolar I disorder, lower baseline GAF scores, unemployment, substance abuse and manic state. Conclusions: Our study revealed that 3.06% of outpatients with bipolar disorder were subjected to psychiatric hospitalization during a 1-year period that extended to September-October 2017. Our study suggested that bipolar I disorder, lower baseline GAF scores, unemployment, substance abuse and baseline mood state could be predictors of psychiatric hospitalization. These results may be useful for clinicians seeking to prevent psychiatric hospitalization for bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Several evidence-based practice guidelines have been developed to better treat bipolar disorder. However, the articles cited in these guidelines were based on clinical or basic studies with specific conditional settings and were not sufficiently based on real-world clinical practice. In particular, there was little information on the doses of mood stabilizers. Methods: The MUlticenter treatment SUrvey on BIpolar disorder in Japanese psychiatric clinics (MUSUBI) is a study conducted to accumulate evidence on the real-world practical treatment of bipolar disorder. The questionnaire included patient characteristics such as comorbidities, mental status, treatment period, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score, and details of pharmacological treatment. Results: Most patients received mood stabilizers such as lithium (n = 1,317), valproic acid (n = 808), carbamazepine (n = 136), and lamotrigine (n = 665). The dose of lithium was correlated with age, body weight, number of episodes, depression and GAF. The dose of valproic acid was correlated with body weight, number of episodes, presence of a rapid cycle and GAF. The dose of carbamazepine was correlated with age, mania, and the presence of a rapid cycle. The dose of lamotrigine was correlated with the number of episodes, depression, mania, psychotic features, and the presence of a rapid cycle. Doses of coadministered mood stabilizers were significantly correlated, except for the combination of valproic acid and lamotrigine. Conclusion: The dose of mood stabilizers was selectively administered based on several factors, such as age, body composition, current mood status and functioning. Further prospective studies are required to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated whether the long-term efficacy and safety of lamotrigine (LTG) for bipolar disorder (BP) differs between disease types (BP-I, BP-II, or BP not otherwise specified [BP-NOS]), and the efficacy of the concomitant use of antidepressants (ADs). Methods: For >1 year, we observed 445 outpatients with BP (diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria) who initiated LTG treatment between July 1 and October 31, 2011, using the Himorogi Selfrating Depression (HSDS) and Anxiety Scales and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale and also recorded adverse events. Results: Treatment efficacy was observed at week 4, with the improved HSDS scores sustained until week 52 for all types of BP; 50% of the patients with any type of BP could be treated with LTG for 1 year, whereas ∼40% could be treated for >1.5 years. However, 25% of the patients were withdrawn within the first 4 weeks. The overall incidence of adverse events was 22.9% (104/455): 34.1% (14/41) for BP-I, 22.7% (15/66) for BP-II, and 22.2% (75/338) for BP-NOS. The most common adverse event was skin rash: 22.0% for BP-I, 16.7% for BP-II, and 12.1% for BP-NOS. Limitations: There was no control group. Data were collected retrospectively. Conclusion: With careful and adequate titration, long-term treatment with LTG is possible for any type of BP, with BP-NOS patients, the largest population in clinical practice, responding particularly well. Symptoms can improve with or without ADs. Large-scale prospective studies of the efficacy of ADs in bipolar treatment are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]