title: Maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders.
abstract: Conventional antipsychotic drugs, although efficacious in the treatment of mania, have not demonstrated a significant usefulness in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. This has primarily been due to a tendency to induce depressive symptoms and depressive recurrences in this group of patients in the course of long-term administration. However, the picture has changed following the introduction of second-generation antipsychotics. These drugs have pro-depressant properties (if any) that are much weaker than conventional antipsychotics. Furthermore, their tolerability, especially in long-term treatment, is more favorable compared to classical antipsychotics. Clinical observations of the action profile of second-generation antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia have pointed to a possibility of these agents possessing mood-stabilizing properties. The first such suggestion was made by Zarate (1995) in connection with clozapine. The prevention of manic and depressive recurrences in bipolar disorder is a hallmark of the definition of mood-stabilizers.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rybakowski
mesh_terms: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents