Late onset bipolar disorder: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We report a 59-year-old man with a past history of major depressive disorder treated with antidepressants for 4 years admitted to the acute psychiatric ward due to manic symptoms noted for 1 month. Despite intensive physical examinations, no organic etiologies were found. This case indicates that bipolar disorder can emerge in late life as a primary psychiatric disorder without a clear organic etiology. The present case demonstrates that a new diagnosis of bipolar disorder in geriatric populations is essentially an exclusionary process whereby organic etiologies are systematically excluded. It also showed that bipolar disorder can emerge in late life as a primary psychiatric disorder. Thus further study is warranted to explore responses to psychotropic medications and the natural course of illness in such patients.