A case report of LAI two injection start in a 16-year-old adolescent with severe manic episode and comorbid cannabinoid use disorder

Abstract

There is a lack of randomized clinical trials and few studies regarding long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in adolescents. Non-adherence, aggressiveness, comorbid substance use disorder and lack of insight may represent the main reasons for starting LAIs. Hereby we describe a 16-year-old male adolescent subject with bipolar type I disorder and comorbid cannabinoid use disorder, successfully treated with two-injection start regimen of LAI aripiprazole. Two-injection start regime of aripiprazole could represent an effective and safe therapeutic option for adolescents with early onset bipolar disorder.

Keywords: Adolescent; Aripiprazole; Bipolar Disorder; LAI; Long-acting injectable aripiprazole; Two-injection start aripiprazole.