Cardiometabolic risk markers during mood-stabilizing treatment: Correlation with drug-specific effects, depressive symptoms and treatment response.

Background: Patients with bipolar disorder have higher rates of cardiometabolic comorbidities and mortality. Although guidelines emphasize the importance of cardiovascular monitoring, few studies characterized the cardiometabolic risk profile during treatment and their relation to symptomatology and treatment response.

Methods: We analyzed data from two similar 24-weeks comparative effectiveness trials, with a combined sample of 770 participants randomized to two different lithium doses, quetiapine (300 mg/day), or standard treatment without lithium.

Duration of Treatment in Electroconvulsive Therapy Among Patients Beginning With Acute Course Right Unilateral Brief Pulse Stimuli.

Objectives: Right unilateral brief pulse (RUL-BP) electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been adopted as a technique for reducing the cognitive side effects of ECT relative to sine wave or bilateral treatments, but it is unknown how often patients are transitioned to alternative electrode placements. This study analyzes time in first lifetime acute course RUL-BP ECT.

Methods: A single-center retrospective chart review was conducted of adult patients receiving a first lifetime course of ECT from 2000 to 2017 beginning with individualized seizure threshold determination using RUL-BP treatment parameters.

Rate of continuing acute course treatment using right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy at a large academic medical center.

Right unilateral ultrabrief pulse (RUL-UBP) ECT has emerged as a promising technique for minimizing cognitive side effects of ECT while retaining clinical efficacy, but it is unknown how often patients will require alternative treatment parameters and at what point in the treatment course this occurs. To better define this problem, this study analyzes continuation in RUL-UBP ECT in a retrospective cohort of patients beginning acute course treatment. A single-center retrospective chart review was conducted of adult patients receiving a first lifetime course of ECT from 2010 to 2017 starting with RUL-UBP treatment parameters.

Familial severe psychiatric history in bipolar disorder and correlation with disease severity and treatment response.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a heritable disorder, and we aimed to assess the impact of family history of mental disorders in first-degree relatives on the severity and course of bipolar disorder.

Methods: The Bipolar CHOICE (lithium versus quetiapine) and LiTMUS (optimized treatment with versus without lithium) comparative effectiveness studies were similar trials among bipolar disorder outpatients studying four different randomized treatment arms for 24 weeks. Patients self-reported on six severe mental disorders among first-degree relatives.