Electroconvulsive therapy and corpus callosum aplasia: a case report.

The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in mental retardation has been discussed in several case reports and case series. In this case, a 35-year-old patient with corpus callosum aplasia and severe therapy-resistant catatonia was treated with a series of unilateral ECT and improved considerably. Electroencephalographic recordings during ECT showed a complete interhemispheric synchronicity due to regular anterior and posterior commissural fibers.

[Specific aspects of treatment for women with bipolar affliction].

This manuscript summarizes specific issues in the disease course and pharmacological treatment of women with bipolar disorders. Gender differences relevant to the female biology manifest in symptoms, outcome, and course. The preponderance of depressive symptoms is typical, and the risk of rapid cycling is estimated to be eight times higher for women than for men.

Risperidone monotherapy in manic inpatients: an open label, multicentre trial.

Objective: The efficacy of risperidone in acute mania has been established in several controlled clinical studies. However, this may not necessarily resemble the clinical effectiveness of this treatment, as patient populations in controlled studies are considered as being not representative. This study examined risperidone monotherapy in a sample of severe manic patients in admission ward settings.

Impact of cognitive-psychoeducational interventions in bipolar patients and their relatives.

Background: In recent years, several controlled studies could show that psychoeducational interventions have been effective for relapse prevention in bipolar disorders. We therefore established a cognitive-psychoeducational group intervention with 14 sessions providing information about the illness, early warning signs, cognitive and behavioural strategies for stress management and social rhythm. Additionally we offered a group intervention for the patients' relatives.