The appeal of ketamine – in promptly ameliorating depressive symptoms even in those with non-response – has led to a dramatic increase in its off-label use. Initial promising results await robust corroboration and key questions remain, particularly concerning its long-term administration. It is, therefore, timely to review the opinions of mood disorder experts worldwide pertaining to ketamine's potential as an option for treating depression and provide a synthesis of perspectives – derived from evidence and clinical experience – and to consider strategies for future investigations.

This monograph summarizes the proceedings of a roundtable meeting convened to discuss the role of carbamazepine in the treatment of bipolar disorder, in light of new data and the recent indication of carbamazepine extended-release capsules (CBZ ERC) for use in the treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes. Two lectures were presented, followed by a panel discussion among all 6 participants. A summary of the two pivotal trials of CBZ ERC and their pooled data along with other relevant data is presented first. Next, historical trends of carbamazepine and the agent's use in acute mania, bipolar depression, and maintenance are reviewed, emphasizing clinical implications of efficacy, safety, tolerability, and drug interactions. Finally, the panel discussion provides recommendations for the use of carbamazepine in different phases of the illness, taking into account adverse effects and drug-drug interactions.

Panel discussants agree that current data confirm the utility of CBZ ERC as an effective treatment for acute manic and mixed episodes in bipolar disorder. Carbamazepine may also prove to be an option for maintenance treatment. Tolerability of the drug is related to dose and titration, and overall safety limitations regarding carbamazepine usage are comparable to other medications. For some patients, the main challenges to use of carbamazepine may be common drug-drug interactions and increased side effects related to aggressive introduction during treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes. Thus, carbamazepine may be a lower priority option for patients who are taking multiple medications, such as elderly individuals with medical comorbidity, due to the potential for drug interactions. Important benefits of carbamazepine include the low propensity toward weight gain and evidence of good tolerability with long-term treatment. (At present there are no available data from long-term, placebo-controlled studies evaluating the effects of carbamazepine or CBZ ERC on weight.) Thus, carbamazepine may be a good option for patients who are concerned about weight gain or who are intolerant of or respond poorly to other medications. Further efforts are needed to update physicians on the use of carbamazepine relative to other medications in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

This discussion focuses on the historical trends of carbamazepine in the treatment of acute mania, acute bipolar depression, and as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. Clinical implications of efficacy, safety, tolerability, and drug interactions associated with carbamazepine are discussed as well.

Important progress in bipolar disorders therapeutics began in the 1970s with lithium and the conventional antipsychotics, and continued in the 1980s with carbamazepine, in the 1990s with divalproex, and in the 2000s with lamotrigine and the introduction of the atypical antipsychotics. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used throughout these periods and still has a place in bipolar disorder, especially for severe, treatment-resistant, and very acute cases.

Immediate-release carbamazepine was first approved for epilepsy in 1974, followed by approval of carbamazepine extended release capsules (CBZ ERC) for epilepsy in 1997. Reports of carbamazepine use in bipolar disorder began in 1973 in Japan, when Okuma and colleagues reported antimanic efficacy in manic-depressive psychosis. In 1978, Ballenger and Post reported effective use of carbamazepine in bipolar illness. The initiation of CBZ ERC in bipolar disorder trials began in 2001. In 2004, CBZ ERC received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes in patients with bipolar disorder (Slide 4).

In 1988, a survey of American psychiatrists reported moderate-to-marked effectiveness for carbamazepine for the following conditions: partial complex seizures (85%), generalized seizures (82%), trigeminal neuralgia (81%), mania prophylaxis (72%), acute bipolar depression (67%), intermittent explosive disorder (65%), acute mania (62%), and schizoaffective disorder (58%). Historically, carbamazepine has been considered superior to lithium for rapid cycling and mixed mania, bipolar II disorder, bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (NOS), and bipolar disorder with mood incongruent delusions or comorbidity. In multiple controlled trials, carbamazepine was as effective as lithium in the treatment of acute mania. Limitations of early controlled carbamazepine trials include lack of parallel placebo groups, small samples (commonly <60 subjects), confounds of concomitant treatments, and low doses used to avoid/attenuate adverse effects.

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have diverse psychotropic profiles. Some AEDs have proven to be efficacious in the treatment of mood disorders, especially bipolar disorder. Others are ineffective as primary treatments but may be useful adjuncts for mood disorders or comorbid conditions. Valproate (acute mania and mixed episodes), carbamazepine (acute mania and mixed episodes), and lamotrigine (maintenance to delay recurrence) have United States Food and Drug Administration indications for the treatment of bipolar disorder. This article provides an overview of data on the use of AEDs in bipolar disorder, including acute mania and depression, prophylaxis, and rapid cycling.

This discussion focuses on the historical trends of carbamazepine in the treatment of acute mania, acute bipolar depression, and as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. Clinical implications of efficacy, safety, tolerability, and drug interactions associated with carbamazepine are discussed as well.

Important progress in bipolar disorders therapeutics began in the 1970s with lithium and the conventional antipsychotics, and continued in the 1980s with carbamazepine, in the 1990s with divalproex, and in the 2000s with lamotrigine and the introduction of the atypical antipsychotics. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used throughout these periods and still has a place in bipolar disorder, especially for severe, treatment-resistant, and very acute cases.

The presentations and clinical courses of patients with bipolar disorder differ greatly by gender. In addition, medical therapy must be tailored differently for men and women because of emerging safety concerns unique to the female reproductive system. In November 2005, these topics were explored by a panel of experts in psychiatry, neurology, and reproductive health at a closed roundtable meeting in Dallas, Texas. This clinical information monograph summarizes the highlights of that meeting.

Compared to men with bipolar disorder, women have more pervasive depressive symptoms and experience more major depressive episodes. They are also at higher risk for obesity and certain other medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Mood changes across the menstrual cycle are common, although the severity, timing, and type of changes are variable. Bipolar disorder is frequently associated with menstrual abnormalities and ovarian dysfunction, including polycystic ovarian syndrome. Although some cases of menstrual disturbance precede the treatment of bipolar disorder, it is possible that valproate and/or antipsychotic treatment may play a contributory role in young women.

Pregnancy does not protect against mood episodes in untreated women. Maintenance of euthymia during pregnancy is critical because relapse during this period strongly predicts a difficult postpartum course. Suspending therapy in the first months of pregnancy may be an option for some women with mild-to-moderate illness, or those with a long history of euthymia during pre-pregnancy treatment. However, a mood stabilizer should be reintroduced either in the later stages of pregnancy or in the immediate postpartum period. Preliminary data suggest that fetal exposure to some mood stabilizers may raise the risk of major congenital malformations and neurodevelopmental delays. For women planning to become pregnant, clinicians may consider switching to other drugs before conception. The value and drawbacks of breastfeeding during treatment must be considered in partnership with the patient, with close monitoring of nursing infants thereafter. The risks and benefits of medical treatment for women with bipolar disorder should be carefully reconsidered at each stage of their reproductive lives, with a flexible approach that is responsive to the changing needs of patients and their families.

Depressed subjects have deficits in facialemotion recognition that resemble the deficits found in persons with focal right hemisphere brain damage. To locate the brain regions responsible for this problem, the authors imaged regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with H2O15 positron emission tomography in 10 mood-disordered patients, as well as in 10 age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects, while the subjects matched photographs for facial emotion or, as a control, facial identity. While matching faces for emotion, mood-disordered subjects had decreased rCBF activation bilaterally in their temporal lobes, as well as in the right insula, compared with healthy comparison subjects. Abnormal function of limbic and paraiimbic regions may partially explain the facial emotion-recognition deficits previously noted in depressed subjects.

The presentations and clinical courses of patients with bipolar disorder differ greatly by gender. In addition, medical therapy must be tailored differently for men and women because of emerging safety concerns unique to the female reproductive system. In November 2005, these topics were explored by a panel of experts in psychiatry, neurology, and reproductive health at a closed roundtable meeting in Dallas, Texas. This clinical information monograph summarizes the highlights of that meeting.

Compared to men with bipolar disorder, women have more pervasive depressive symptoms and experience more major depressive episodes. They are also at higher risk for obesity and certain other medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Mood changes across the menstrual cycle are common, although the severity, timing, and type of changes are variable. Bipolar disorder is frequently associated with menstrual abnormalities and ovarian dysfunction, including polycystic ovarian syndrome. Although some cases of menstrual disturbance precede the treatment of bipolar disorder, it is possible that valproate and/or antipsychotic treatment may play a contributory role in young women.

Pregnancy does not protect against mood episodes in untreated women. Maintenance of euthymia during pregnancy is critical because relapse during this period strongly predicts a difficult postpartum course. Suspending therapy in the first months of pregnancy may be an option for some women with mild-to-moderate illness, or those with a long history of euthymia during pre-pregnancy treatment. However, a mood stabilizer should be reintroduced either in the later stages of pregnancy or in the immediate postpartum period. Preliminary data suggest that fetal exposure to some mood stabilizers may raise the risk of major congenital malformations and neurodevelopmental delays. For women planning to become pregnant, clinicians may consider switching to other drugs before conception. The value and drawbacks of breastfeeding during treatment must be considered in partnership with the patient, with close monitoring of nursing infants thereafter. The risks and benefits of medical treatment for women with bipolar disorder should be carefully reconsidered at each stage of their reproductive lives, with a flexible approach that is responsive to the changing needs of patients and their families.

Therapy of bipolar disorders is a rapidly evolving field. Lithium has efficacy in classic bipolar disorders whereas divalproex sodium and carbamazepine may have broader spectrum efficacy that includes non-classic bipolar disorder. In the last 10 years, a series of anticonvulsants have been approved for marketing in the United States. Gabapentin has indirect γ-aminobuytric acid-ergic actions, is generally well tolerated, and appears to have anxiolytic, analgesic, and hypnotic effects. Lamotrigine has antiglutamatergic actions and is generally well tolerated (aside from rash in 1 in 10, and serious rash in 1 in 1,000 patients). Lamotrigine is indicated for maintance treatment in bipolar disorder. Emerging evidence suggests lamotrigine may have utility in bipolar disorder patients with depression and treatment-refractory rapid cycling, as well as analgesic effects. Topiramate and zonisamide may allow both weight loss, while topiramate may have specific efficacy in bulimia, binge eating disorder, and alcohol dependence. Two small studies found oxcarbazepine had similar efficacy to lithium and haloperidol in acute mania. Phenytoin, an older anticonvulsant, may have adjunctive acute mania efficacy. Levetiracetam, a newer anticonvulsant, may be worth exploring and has minimal drug-drug interactions. None of these newer agents has been shown effective in a large placebo controlled trial for acute mania. Although the clinical profiles of these newer anticonvulsants do not appear to overlap markedly with divalproex and carbamazepine (except perhaps for oxcarbazepine), these novel agents may still offer important new options in relieving a variety of specific target symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder.