Effect of HIV infection on time to recovery from an acute manic episode

INTRODUCTION: Understanding factors affecting the time to recovery from acute mania is critical in the management of manic syndromes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of HIV infection on time to recovery from acute mania. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study in which medical charts of individuals who were treated for acute mania were reviewed. Survival analysis with Cox regression models were used to compare time to recovery from an acute manic episode between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals and HIV-negative individuals. RESULTS: Median survival time was one week for HIV-positive individuals and more than four weeks for HIV-negative individuals (χ(2) = 18.4, P value = 0.000). HIV infection was the only marginally significant independent predictor of survival probability on the acute admission ward (hazards ratio 2.87, P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Acute mania in HIV-infected persons responds faster to psychotropic drugs compared with that in HIV-negative persons.