Comparison of older patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder.

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore differences in measures of symptoms and cognition, side effects, and functional impairment between older patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Methods: Representative samples (N = 132) of older patients (age >54 years) with either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder were compared on several clinical and psychosocial variables. The measures used included the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, the Clinical Global Impression, and the Mini-Mental Status Examination.

Weight decline in patients switching from olanzapine to quetiapine.

This open-label study investigated the strategy of switching patients who had gained excessive weight on olanzapine to quetiapine, with assessments of safety and continued efficacy as well as weight change. Patients who were psychiatrically stable on olanzapine but had gained >20% in weight and had body mass index >25 mg/kg(2) were switched to quetiapine over a 4-week period and followed for 6 weeks, the total study duration being 10 weeks. Assessments included weight change, antipsychotic efficacy using the Positive and Negative Symptom Syndrome Scale (PANSS), extrapyramidal adverse events using the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS), and laboratory studies for metabolic measures.

Paroxetine in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Open-Label Study.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder and is the largest diagnostic cohort seen by gastroenterologists. There is a bidirectional comorbidity of IBS and psychiatric illness. Ours is the first study to examine the effect of any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in subjects with IBS.

Topiramate in Bipolar and Schizoaffective Disorders: Weight Loss and Efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Although useful in bipolar disorder, mood stabilizers, such as lithium, divalproex sodium, and carbamazepine, can cause significant weight gain. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 5 patients with DSM-IV bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder who were treated with topiramate as adjunctive therapy or monotherapy. RESULTS: All 5 patients had a good response to treatment at a mean topiramate dose of 195 mg/day (range, 100-375 mg/day).

Atypical Antipsychotics and Glucose Dysregulation: A Series of 4 Cases.

There have been reports in the psychiatric literature of the association of glucose dysregulation and diabetes mellitus with the use of atypical and typical (conventional) antipsychotics. We present a series of 4 additional cases in which psychotic disorders (DSM-IV) were treated with atypical antipsychotics, and patients subsequently developed glucose dysregulation or diabetes mellitus. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia in real world patients on antipsychotic therapy.

There have been recent reports in the psychiatric literature of the possible association of glucose dysregulation and diabetes mellitus with the use of atypical antipsychotics. This article describes a retrospective chart review of patients from various clinical settings, including a continuing day treatment program, two inpatient programs, and a large private practice. Information was obtained with regard to weight, fasting blood glucose, lipid profiles, EKG changes, and medical comorbidities.

Older patients with schizophrenia: nature of dwelling status and symptom severity.

Objective: This cross-sectional study enrolled elderly patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Method: The 85 subjects were dichotomized into two groups on the basis of dwelling status: those living independently (N=35) and those living in residential settings (N=50). The groups were compared with regard to scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Geriatric Depression Scale and by age.

Does a preexisting anxiety disorder predict response to paroxetine in irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disorder in patients seen by gastroenterologists. Twenty subjects with IBS diagnosed with the Rome criteria were treated for 12 weeks with 20-40 mg/day of paroxetine (mean dose=31 mg/day). At baseline, 10 patients had a lifetime history of an anxiety disorder, and 10 patients did not have such a history.