Bipolar disorder — MCQs

A 29-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by his wife due to unusual behavior for the past week. She has noted several incidents when he spoke to her so fast that she could not understand what he was saying. She also says that one evening, he drove home naked after a night where he said he was ‘painting the town red’. She also says he has also been sleeping for about 2 hours a night and has barely had any sleep in the past 2 weeks. She says that he goes ‘to work’ in the morning every day, but she suspects that he has been doing other things. She denies any knowledge of similar symptoms in the past. On physical examination, the patient appears agitated and is pacing the exam room. He compliments the cleanliness of the floors, recommends the hospital change to the metric system, and asks if anyone else can hear ‘that ringing’. Laboratory results are unremarkable. The patient denies any suicidal or homicidal ideations. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A 40-year-old man who was previously antisocial, low energy at work, and not keen to attend office parties was arrested and brought to the emergency department after he showed up to the office Christmas party out of control. He was noted to be very energetic and irritable. He spent the entire evening hijacking conversations and sharing his plans for the company that will save it from inevitable ruin. What other finding are you most likely to find in this patient’s current condition?

A 26-year-old female college student is brought back into the university clinic for acting uncharacteristically. The patient presented to the same clinic 6 weeks ago with complaints of depressed mood, insomnia, and weightloss. She had been feeling guilty for wasting her parent’s money by doing so poorly at the university. She felt drained for at least 2 weeks before presenting to the clinic for the first time. She was placed on an antidepressant and was improving but now presents with elevated mood. She is more talkative with a flight of ideas and is easily distractible. Which of the following statements is most likely true regarding this patient’s condition?

A 22-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by campus police for bizarre behavior. She was arrested while trying to break into her university's supercomputer center and was found crying and claiming she needs access to the high-powered processors immediately. Her boyfriend arrived at the hospital and reports that, over the past week, she has been staying up all night working on ‘various projects’. A review of her electronic medical record reveals that she was seen at student health 1 week ago for low energy and depressed mood, for which treatment was started. In the emergency department, she continues to appear agitated, pacing around the room and scolding staff for stopping her from her important work. Her speech is pressured, but she exhibits no evidence of visual or auditory hallucinations. The physical exam is otherwise unremarkable. Which of the following medications most likely precipitated this patient’s event?

A 27-year-old man with seizure disorder is brought to the emergency department by his girlfriend after falling while climbing a building. The girlfriend reports that he was started on a new medication for treatment of depressed mood, low energy, and difficulty sleeping 2 weeks ago by his physician. She says that he has had unstable emotions for several months. Over the past 3 days, he has not slept and has spent all his time “training to climb Everest.” He has never climbed before this period. He also spent all of his savings buying mountain climbing gear. Physical examination shows ecchymoses over his right upper extremity, pressured speech, and easy distractibility. He is alert but not oriented to place. Which of the following drugs is the most likely cause of this patient's current behavior?

A 35-year-old female presents to her PCP at the request of her husband after 3 weeks of erratic behavior. The patient has been staying up all night online shopping on eBay. Despite a lack of sleep, she is "full of energy" during the day at her teaching job, which she believes is "beneath [her], anyway." She has not sought psychiatric treatment in the past, but reports an episode of self-diagnosed depression 2 years ago. The patient denies thoughts of suicide. Pregnancy test is negative. Which of the following is the best initial treatment?

A 35-year-old man is brought to his psychiatrist by his wife. The patient’s wife says his last visit was 3 years ago for an episode of depression. At that time, he was prescribed fluoxetine, which he did not take because he believed that his symptoms would subside on their own. A few months later, his wife says that he suddenly came out of his feelings of ‘depression’ and began to be more excitable and show pressured speech. She observed that he slept very little but had a heightened interest in sexual activity. This lasted for a few weeks, and he went back to his depressed state. He has continued to experience feelings of sadness and shows a lack of concentration at work. She often finds him crying, and he also expresses feelings of guilt for all the wrongs he allegedly did to her and to the family. There was a week where he had a brief time of excitability and was considering donating all their savings to a local charity. She is highly perturbed by his behavior and often finds it hard to predict what his mood will be like next. The patient denies any suicidal or homicidal ideations. A urine toxicology screen is negative. All laboratory tests, including thyroid hormone levels, are normal. Which of the following is the most appropriate diagnosis in this patient?

A previously healthy 13-year-old girl is brought to the physician by her mother because of a change in behavior. The mother reports that over the past 6 months, her daughter has had frequent mood swings. Sometimes, she is irritable for several days and loses her temper easily. In between these episodes, she behaves “normal,” spends time with her friends, and participates in gymnastics training twice a week. The mother has also noticed that her daughter needs more time than usual to get ready for school. Sometimes, she puts on excessive make-up. One month ago, her teacher had informed the parents that their daughter had skipped school and was seen at the local mall with one of her classmates instead. The patient reports that she often feels tired, especially when she has to wake up early for school. On the weekends, she sleeps until 1 pm. Menses have occurred at 15- to 45-day intervals since menarche at the age of 12 years; they are not associated with abdominal discomfort or functional impairment. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the patient's behavior?

A 32-year-old woman with bipolar disorder visits her gynecologist because she believes she is pregnant. A urine pregnancy test is performed which confirms she is pregnant. She has mild bipolar disorder for which she takes lithium and admits that she has been taking it ‘on and off’ for 2 years now but has never had any symptoms or episodes of relapse. She says that she had not made contact with her psychiatrist for the past several months because she ‘couldn’t find any time.’ Which of the following is the next best step in the management of this patient?

A 23-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by emergency medical services. She was found trying to hang herself in her kitchen. The patient has a past medical history of drug abuse, alcoholism, anxiety, mania, irritable bowel syndrome, and hypertension. Her current medications include naltrexone, sodium docusate, and clonazepam as needed. Her temperature is 99.5°F (37.5°C), blood pressure is 100/65 mmHg, pulse is 90/min, respirations are 15/min, and oxygen saturation is 99% on room air. On physical exam, you note a teary young woman. There are multiple bilateral superficial cuts along her wrists. The patient's cardiac and pulmonary exams are within normal limits. Neurological exam reveals a patient who is alert and oriented. The patient claims that you cannot send her home because if you do she will kill herself. Laboratory values are ordered and return as below. Hemoglobin: 15 g/dL Hematocrit: 40% Leukocyte count: 4,500 cells/mm^3 with normal differential Platelet count: 197,500/mm^3 Serum: Na+: 139 mEq/L Cl-: 102 mEq/L K+: 4.4 mEq/L HCO3-: 24 mEq/L BUN: 20 mg/dL Glucose: 90 mg/dL Creatinine: 1.0 mg/dL Ca2+: 10.2 mg/dL AST: 12 U/L ALT: 10 U/L The patient is transferred to the crisis intervention unit. Which of the following is the best next step in management?