Abstract

Antidepressant-induced mania (AIM) has been described in bipolar disorder (BD) and has been associated with the short-allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT). We wished to investigate the frequency of and risk factors for AIM in pediatric patients with or at high risk for BD.Fifty-two children and adolescents (30 with BD and 22 with subthreshold manic symptoms, 15.1 +/- 3.4 years old), all with a parent with BD, were interviewed with their parents for manic/depressive symptoms occurring before and after past antidepressant treatment. The 47 subjects with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure were genotyped for the 5-HTT polymorphism.Fifty percent of subjects were AIM+ and 25.5% had new onset of suicidal ideation. The AIM+ and AIM- groups did not differ significantly in relation to allele (p = .36) or genotype (p = .53) frequencies of the 5-HTT polymorphism. The AIM+ subjects were more likely to have more comorbidities (3.2 vs. 2.4; p = .02) and be BD type I (p = .04) than AIM- subjects.Youth with or at high risk for BD may be particularly vulnerable to SSRI AIM and thus should be monitored if given SSRIs. In this preliminary study, we did not find that the 5-HTT polymorphism significantly influenced vulnerability to AIM.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.06.010

View details for PubMedID 16945343