Acute treatment of pediatric bipolar I disorder, manic or mixed episode, with aripiprazole: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole for the treatment of pediatric bipolar I disorder, manic or mixed episode, with or without psychotic features. Method: Subjects were enrolled between March 2005 and February 2007 in a randomized, multicenter, double-blind 4-week study of aripiprazole 10 mg/d, aripiprazole 30 mg/d, and placebo. Subjects (n = 296) were 10 to 17 years old with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I disorder with current manic or mixed episodes, with or without psychotic features, and a Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score ≥ 20. The primary efficacy variable was change from baseline in the YMRS total score. Results: Both doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo on the YMRS total score beginning at week 1 and continuing through week 4. Aripiprazole 10 mg and 30 mg were more effective than placebo on global improvement, mania, and overall bipolar illness outcome measures. Response (≥ 50% reduction in YMRS total score) at week 4 was achieved by 44.8%, 63.6%, and 26.1 % of subjects in the aripiprazole 10 mg, aripiprazole 30 mg, and placebo groups, respectively (P< .01 both doses vs placebo). Both doses were generally well tolerated. The most common adverse events were extrapyramidal disorder and somnolence; rates were higher for aripiprazole 30 mg compared with aripiprazole 10 mg. Average weight gain was not significantly different between the aripiprazole 10 mg (+0.82 kg) or 30 mg (+1.08 kg) groups compared with the placebo group (+0.56 kg) (P=.35 and P=.13 , respectively). Conclusions: Aripiprazole in daily doses of 10 mg or 30 mg is an effective and generally well-tolerated acute treatment for pediatric subjects with bipolar I mania or mixed episodes.