Geriatric bipolar disorder is associated with a significant morbidity, mortality and poor psychosocial outcomes. Bipolar affective disorder contributes substantially to geriatric mood disorders and to geriatric hospitalizations. Mania in late-life is often a tremendous treatment challenge because of frequent medical co-morbidity and age-related variations in response to therapeutics.

To report a case of mania in late-life, in order to discuss the impact of bipolar disorder in the elderly, underlining treatment difficulties in the geriatric population.

Case study and review of the literature.

A 70 year old woman was hospitalized in a geriatric service of a psychiatric hospital with a maniac episode. She had a history of bipolar disorder diagnosed during her adult life. She had several co-morbid medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and psoriasis. There was a successful multidisciplinary approach and intervention, allowing a significant improvement and reintegration in the community.

Geriatric patients with bipolar disorder carry a substantial burden of general medical conditions. There are few studies and a lack of specific algorithms concerning bipolar management in the elderly. It is urgent the development of specific interventions that target medical burden in patients with bipolar disorder and further research on the treatment of bipolar disorder in old age. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to allow a holistic treatment and improvement of quality of life parameters in this population.