Reduced Suicidal Ideation in Bipolar I Disorder Mixed-Episode Patients in a Placebo-Controlled Trial of Olanzapine Combined With Lithium or Divalproex

Symptoms associated with suicidality in bipolar I patients were identified & suicide risk during treatment with olanzapine in combination with lithium or divalproex was assessed. Data were used from a previous study in which patients with bipolar I manic or mixed-episode who were partially responsive to at least 2 weeks of lithium or divalproex monotherapy were randomly assigned to augmentation therapy with olanzapine or placebo. Suicidality in adult, mixed episode, bipolar I disorder patients was associated with somatic discomfort, agitated depression, & psychosis. Findings suggest the addition of an atypical antipsychotic-antimanic agent may help reduce suicide ideation in some bipolar disorder patients. (44 refs.)