title: Long-term outcome of lithium prophylaxis in bipolar disorder with mood-incongruent psychotic features: a prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No study has assessed systematically up to now the long-term outcome of lithium prophylaxis in bipolar patients with vs. without mood-incongruent psychotic features.
  
  
  METHODS
  All bipolar patients with mood-incongruent psychotic features who started lithium prophylaxis at a lithium clinic during 14 years were followed up prospectively for 5 years, along with a control group of non-psychotic bipolars.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Psychotic patients were significantly less likely than controls to be still on lithium after 5 years, and to present a reduction of at least 50% of time spent in hospital during the lithium treatment period compared with a pre-treatment period of the same duration. The time to 50% risk of readmission was significantly increased among both groups during lithium treatment. 39.6% of prospective episodes in psychotic patients did not include mood-incongruent psychotic features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a naturalistic study carried out at a lithium clinic. No control group of bipolar patients who did not receive lithium was available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lithium exerts a significant impact on the course of bipolar disorder with mood-incongruent psychotic features, although this impact is less pronounced than in classical manic-depressive illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Largo Madonna delle Grazie, I-80138 Napoli, Italy. majmario@tin.it
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maj
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pirozzi
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bartoli
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magliano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016651:Lithium Carbonate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010359:Patient Readmission; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D016651:Lithium Carbonate