Bipolar Disorder Among Older Adults: Newer Evidence to Guide Clinical Practice

Annemiek Dols, Harmehr Sekhon, Soham Rej, Federica Klaus, Katie Bodenstein, Martha Sajatovic*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The term older-age bipolar disorder (OABD) refers to patients with bipolar disorder who are ages 50 and older. Research findings suggest important differences, including the attenuation of manic symptoms with age and the occurrence of multiple somatic comorbid conditions. Although the pharmacological treatment of OABD is fairly similar, adverse effects, somatic comorbidity, and drug-drug interactions are more common. Lithium is effective in treating OABD and may have the potential to be neuroprotective. Anticonvulsants and second-generation antipsychotics have a growing evidence supporting their use in treating OABD. Behavioral intervention can be a helpful adjunct to pharmacological treatment. Clinicians and health care systems need to be prepared to provide care and services to individuals with bipolar disorder throughout the life span. Although older adults have typically been excluded from bipolar disorder RCTs, emerging efforts organized by global advocates and harnessing teams of clinicians and scientists have the potential to advance care.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)370-379
Number of pages10
JournalFocus (American Psychiatric Publishing)
Volume21
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2023

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