Bipolar disorders and schizophrenia: discrete disorders?

Background: With similarities in heritability, neurobiology and symptomatology, the question has been raised whether schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are truly distinctive disorders or belong to a continuum. This narrative review summarizes common and distinctive findings from genetics, neuroimaging, cognition and clinical course that may help to solve this ethiopathogenetic puzzle.

Methods: The authors conducted a literature search for papers listed in PubMed and Google Scholar, using the search terms "schizophrenia" and "bipolar disorder" combined with different terms such as "genes", "neuroimaging studies", "phenomenology differences", "cognition", "epidemiology".

Lower Switch Rate in Depressed Patients With Bipolar II Than Bipolar I Disorder Treated Adjunctively With Second-Generation Antidepressants.

Objectives: The authors compared the switch rate into hypomania/mania in depressed patients treated with second-generation antidepressants who had either bipolar I or bipolar II disorder.

Methods: In a 10-week trial, 184 outpatients with bipolar depression (134 with bipolar I disorder, 48 with bipolar II disorder, two with bipolar disorder not otherwise specified) were treated with one of three antidepressants as an adjunct to mood stabilizers. The patients' switch rates were assessed.

Treatment of Bipolar Disorders in Older Adults: A Review.

Background: Old age bipolar disorder has been an orphan of psychiatric research for a long time despite the fact that bipolar disorder (BD)-I and II together may affect 0.5-1.0% of the elderly.

Dual disorder: does expert clinical experience support the rationale for cariprazine use?

Comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) in patients with schizophrenia (dual disorder, DD) is a frequent occurrence in the psychiatric clinical practice and is positively associated with poorer outcomes. Despite a very high co-prevalence, clinical guidelines for SUD and severe mental illnesses tend to give limited consideration to co-existing disorders regarding diagnosis and management. This article is the result of a meeting held in February 2023 to discuss common challenges and best clinical practice initiatives for patients with schizophrenia and DD in different treatment settings.

The role of the D3 dopamine receptor and its partial agonist cariprazine in patients with schizophrenia and substance use disorder.

Introduction: Comorbidity of substance use disorder (SUD) with schizophrenia, referred to as dual disorder (DD), significantly increases morbidity and mortality compared to schizophrenia alone. A dopaminergic dysregulation seems to be a common pathophysiological basis of the comorbidity.

Areas Covered: This article reports the current evidence on the role of dopamine dysregulations in DD, the pharmacological profile of cariprazine, a partial agonist of D3 and D2 dopamine receptors, and first clinical observations that may support its usefulness in the therapy of DD.