Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

Impulsivity and bipolar disorder.

Najt P, Perez J, Sanches M, Peluso MA, Glahn D, Soares JC

MOOD-CNS Program, Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.

Impulsivity is frequently associated with bipolar disorder (BD) during manic episodes, but may also be present in euthymic bipolar patients. Aggression is an impulsivity-related behavior also found during manic episodes. The objective of this review is to further clarify the relationship between impulsivity and BD. A search in Medline and Psycinfo databases, combined with a manual search of selected references, was conducted to identify available literature on BD and impulsivity-related features. Although few studies have directly measured impulsivity in BD, available findings suggest that impulsivity is not only state-related, but also a trait component of BD, which could represent a core feature of the illness. Further research exploring the neurobiology of the impulsivity/BD relationship may contribute to elucidate the pathophysiology and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this severe illness.

Published 2 March 2007 in Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 17(5): 313-20.
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