Bipolar disorder — MCQs

A 28-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by her friends. She is naked except for a blanket and speaking rapidly and incoherently. Her friends say that she was found watering her garden naked and refused to put on any clothes when they tried to make her do so, saying that she has accepted how beautiful she is inside and out. Her friends say she has also purchased a new car she can not afford. They are concerned about her, as they have never seen her behave this way before. For the past week, she has not shown up at work and has been acting ‘strangely’. They say she was extremely excited and has been calling them at odd hours of the night to tell them about her future plans. Which of the following drug mechanisms will help with the long-term management this patient’s symptoms?

A 29-year-old woman presents to her primary physician with complaints of episodic late-night agitations and insomnia to an extent that her work is at stake due to her poor performance for months. Her husband reports that she has recently spent their savings on a shopping spree. He is worried that she might be taking illicit substances as her behavior changes very often. The toxicology screen comes back negative. The physician diagnoses her with bipolar disorder and prescribes her a medication. Which of the following statements best describes the prescribed therapy?

A 25-year-old woman presents to the emergency department when she was found trying to direct traffic on the highway in the middle of the night. The patient states that she has created a pooled queuing system that will drastically reduce the traffic during rush hour. When speaking with the patient, she does not answer questions directly and is highly distractible. She is speaking very rapidly in an effort to explain her ideas to you. The patient has a past medical history of depression for which she was started on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) last week. Physical exam is deferred as the patient is highly irritable. The patient’s home medications are discontinued and she is started on a mortality-lowering agent. The next morning, the patient is resting peacefully. Which of the following is the next best step in management?

A 20-year-old man presents to the emergency department by his father for not sleeping for 2 nights consecutively. His father noticed that the patient has been in an unusual mood. One day ago, the patient disrobed in front of guests after showering. He has also had lengthy conversations with strangers. One month ago, the patient took out a large loan from a bank in order to fund a business idea he has not yet started. He also borrowed his father's credit card to make a spontaneous trip to Switzerland by himself for a few days, where he spent over 30,000 dollars. His father notes that there have been episodes where he would not leave his bed and remained in his room with the lights off. During these episodes, he sleeps for approximately 15 hours. On physical exam, he is talkative, distractable, and demonstrates a flight of ideas. His speech is pressured, difficult to interrupt, and he asks intrusive questions. Which of the following is the best treatment option for this patient?

A 26-year-old woman is found wandering in the street at 3 AM in the morning shouting about a new cure for cancer. When interviewed in the psychiatric triage unit, she speaks rapidly without pauses and continues to boast of her upcoming contribution to science. When the physician attempts to interrupt her, she becomes angry and begins to shout about all of her "accomplishments" in the last week. She states that because she anticipates a substantial sum of money from the Nobel Prize she will win, she bought a new car and diamond earrings. In addition, the patient divulges that she is 8 weeks pregnant with a fetus who is going to "change the course of history." Her chart in the electronic medical record shows an admission 3 months ago for suicidality and depression. She was released on fluoxetine after being stabilized, but the patient now denies ever taking any medications that "could poison my brain." Urine pregnancy test is positive. Which of the following is a potential adverse outcome of lithium, the drug shown to reduce suicide-related mortality in bipolar patients?