J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1992; 4:435-439
Copyright © 1992 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Bipolar disorder in idiopathic dystonia: clinical features and possible neurobiology
EC Lauterbach, TE Spears and ST Price
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia 31207.
The authors report 5 patients with bipolar disorders in the context of
primary idiopathic dystonia. Four patients had DSM-III-R bipolar disorder,
mixed, and one had cyclothymic disorder as diagnosed using the Structured
Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). All cases of bipolar disorder
manifested rapid cycling. Three patients with bipolar disorder experienced
onset of this illness soon after the onset of cervicocranial dystonia (5
neck dystonia, 4 craniofacial, 2 brachial, 1 vocal cord, 1 thoracic). These
cases apparently represent a first report of bipolar disorders in dystonia.
Clinical management, relevant literature, and putative neurobiology are
reviewed.
