Evidence-Based Reviews

Delirious mania: Presentation, pathogenesis, and management

Current Psychiatry. 2023 December;22(12):26-34,54 | doi: 10.12788/cp.0414

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Pathogenesis: Several hypotheses

The pathogenesis of delirious mania is not well understood. There are several postulations but no salient theory. Most patients with delirious mania have an underlying systemic medical or psychiatric condition.

Mood disorders. Patients with BD or schizoaffective disorder are especially susceptible to delirious mania. The percentage of manic patients who present with delirious mania varies by study. One study suggested approximately 19% have features of the phenomenon,³³ while others estimated 15% to 25%.³⁴ Elias et al³⁵ calculated that 15% of patients with mania succumb to manic exhaustion; from this it can be reasonably concluded that these were cases of misdiagnosed delirious mania.

Delirium hypothesis. Patients with delirious mania typically have features of delirium, including fluctuation of consciousness, disorientation, and/or poor sleep-wake cycle.³⁶ During rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, memory circuits are fortified. When there is a substantial loss of REM and non-REM sleep, these circuits become faulty, even after 1 night. Pathological brain waves on EEG reflect the inability to reinforce the memory circuits. Patients with these waves may develop hallucinations, bizarre delusions, and altered sensorium. ECT reduces the pathological slow wave morphologies, thus restoring the synaptic maintenance and correcting the incompetent circuitry. This can explain the robust and rapid response of ECT in a patient with delirious mania.^37,38

Neurotransmitter hypothesis. It has been shown that in patients with delirious mania there is dysregulation of dopamine transport, which leads to dopamine overflow in the synapse. In contrast to a drug effect (ie, cocaine or methamphetamine) that acts by inhibiting dopamine reuptake, dopamine overflow in delirious mania is caused by the loss of dopamine transporter regulation. This results in a dysfunctional dopaminergic state that precipitates an acute state of delirium and agitation.^39,40

Serotonin plays a role in mood disorders, including mania and depression.^41,42 More specifically, serotonin has been implicated in impulsivity and aggression as shown by reduced levels of CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and depletion of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).⁴³

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