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Lithium prophylaxis of periodic hypersomnia unaccompanied by affective symptoms: A further adolescent case
Author(s) -
Abe Kazuhiko
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.470020208
Subject(s) - lithium (medication) , hypomania , depersonalization , depression (economics) , psychology , medicine , derealization , pediatrics , psychiatry , anesthesia , bipolar disorder , clinical psychology , mania , emotional exhaustion , burnout , economics , macroeconomics
Lithium was administered to a 15‐year‐old boy who had four episodes of hypersomnia following his recovery from influenza. The episodes lasted about a week and were not associated with depression, hypomania or polyphagia, but were heralded by depersonalization. The episode did not recur during prophylactic lithium administration in the latter half of 1983, but recurred later on three occasions when lithium was discontinued or taken less than prescribed. This finding, together with a few cases reported in the literature, appear to indicate that lithium is potentially effective in preventing hypersomnia even in cases unassociated with affective symptoms. However, its preventive effect may not always be complete, as depersonalization recurred in the present case in March 1985 when the serum lithium level was in the therapeutic range.