Abstract
Bipolar disorder is a highly disabling severe mental illness that affects approximately 1% of the population characterized by the presence of manic and/or depressive episodes. Acute mania is characterized by an abnormal elevation of mood, along with impaired judgment and disinhibition. The goal of treatment of a manic episode must be the effective control of symptoms as early as possible to minimize the risk of the patient with the minimum incidence of side effects. There are several drugs that have shown efficacy in the treatment of acute mania, especially the group of mood stabilizers (lithium, valproic acid or carbamazepine). Also, in recent years, antipsychotics have been widely used for this purpose. In this paper we conduct a systematic review of scientific literature about the use of antipsychotics to control manic symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder. According to the data evaluated, antipsychotics, especially the secondgeneration ones, represent a first line tool for the treatment of manic symptoms, both as monotherapy and associated with a mood stabilizer if necessary. The choice of one or another antipsychotic should be based on side-effect profile, previous experience and preferences of the patient.
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