DRUG-INDUCED MANIA IN THE ELDERLY

Mania is a rare complication of prescribed drug use in elderly persons . The drugs most likely to produce mania include corticosteroids and d opamine agonists. It is uncertain if antidepressants cause mania or on ly increase the propensity for latent bipolar mania to be expressed, D rug-induced mania may promote poor judgment, risk-taking behaviours an d medical noncompliance. The majority of episodes of drug-induced mani a are short-lived and respond to discontinuation of the drug. Antipsyc hotic agents may hasten resolution of this psychiatric syndrome. Lithi um may prevent corticosteroid-induced mania, but the role of lithium i n the treatment of other drug-induced manic episodes has not been stud ied adequately.