Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of single-dose metergoline in depressed patients with seasonal affective disorder.

A role for serotonin in season affective disorder (SAD) has been explored with a variety of serotonergic pharmacologic agents. The authors initially hypothesized that metergoline, a nonspecific serotonin antagonist, would exacerbate depressive symptoms. In a small, open-label pilot study, the authors observed the opposite effect.

Lack of relationship between menstrual cycle phase and mood in a sample of women with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Background: Women are overrepresented in samples of patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder (RCBD). To explore whether menstrually related mood changes might account for this gender difference, we studied the relationship between menstrual cycle phase and mood in a sample of premenopausal women with rapid cycling bipolar disorder (RCBD).

Methods: Twenty-five women with RCBD completed daily self-rating forms indicating their mood and days of menstruation for a minimum of three months.

Gender differences in glycosylated hemoglobin levels in seasonal affective disorder patients and controls.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been shown to manifest different symptoms in female and male patients. Specifically, women with SAD have been shown to have greater increases in overeating, weight gain, and increased sleep as compared with their male counterparts. Given these dietary changes, we predicted that female SAD patients would exhibit increased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) levels, indicative of chronically elevated glucose levels.

Validation of the hypomania interview guide-seasonal affective disorder (HIGH-SAD) version in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

We validated the Hypomania Interview Guide-Seasonal Affective Disorder version (HIGH-SAD) in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder (RCBD). Fourteen outpatients were rated on six separate occasions (total = 84 visits). On each visit the patients were rated with the HIGH-SAD and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) in a counterbalanced order.

Effects of exogenous melatonin administration and withdrawal in five patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder.

Background: The ready availability of exogenous melatonin means that its use in patients with mood disorders is probably not uncommon. Nonetheless, few controlled trials of exogenous melatonin in these patients have been conducted.

Method: Five patients with rapid-cycling DSM-III-R bipolar disorder were treated with melatonin 10 mg q.