Comorbidity of Asperger's syndrome and Bipolar disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is a pervasive developmental disorder that is sometimes unrecognized, especially in the adult psychiatric setting. On the other hand, in patients with an AS diagnosis, comorbid psychiatric disorders may be unrecognized in the juvenile setting. The aim of the paper is to show and discuss some troublesome and complex problems of the management of patients with AS and comorbid Bipolar Disorder (BD).


METHODS
The paper describes three patients affected by AS and bipolar spectrum disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
Mood stabilizers and 2nd generation antipsychotics were effective in the treatment of these AS patients with comorbid BD, while the use of antidepressants was associated with worsening of the mood disorder.It is of importance to recognize both the psychiatric diagnoses in order to arrange an exhaustive therapeutic program and to define specific and realistic goals of treatment.
Raja
Michele
M
Servizio Psichiatrico di Diagnosi e Cura, Ospedale Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome, Italy. michele.raja@libero.it.
Azzoni
Antonella
A