a is another form of bipolar disorder. Mania may be present with four or more episodes within a 12 month period. This form of the disease has more episodes of mania and depression than bipolar disorder, although this is believed to be a branch of actual bipolar disorder.Lithium has been the primary treatment of bipolar disorder since its introduction in the 1960's. Its main function is to stabilize the cycling characteristic of bipolar disorder. In four controlled studies by F. K. Goodwin and K. R. Jamison, the overall response rate for bipolar subjects treated with Lithium was 78% (1990). Lithium is also the primary drug used for long- term maintenance of bipolar disorder. In a majority of bipolar patients, it lessens the duration, frequency, and severity of the episodes of both mania and depression.Unfortunately, as many as 40% of bipolar patients are either unresponsive to lithium or can not handle the side effects. Some of the side effects include thirst, weight gain, nausea, diarrhea, and edema. Patients who are unresponsive to lithium treatment are often those who experience dysphoric mania, mixed states, or rapid cycling bipolar disorder.One of the problems associated with lithium is the fact the long-term lithium treatment has been associated with decreased thyroid functioning in patients with bipolar disorder. Evidence also suggests that hypothyroidism may actually lead to rapid-cycling. Pregnant women experience another problem associated with the use of lithium. Its use during pregnancy has been associated with birth defects.There are other effective treatments for bipolar disorder that are used in cases where the patients cannot tolerate lithium or have been unresponsive to it in the past. The American Psychiatric Association's guidelines suggest the next best treatment to be Anticonvulsant drugs such as valproate and carbamazepine. These drugs are useful as antimanic drugs, especially in those patients with mi...
