Symptoms of mania in geriatric patients (> 65 years old) have received much recent attention, in part due to Akiskal's Bipolar Spectrum classification (Akiskal, 2000), in which subtype VI is «bipolarity in the setting of dementia». The authors present a through revision of the issue, and 3 clinical cases are presented.

Data was collected through Medline/Pubmed website research, literature revision and other sources. Three clinical cases are presented (identifying data and sociodemographic details, history of present illness, personal history, …), which were obtained through direct observation of the patient and consultation of hospital inpatient clinical file.

We found 11272 articles, of which 458 were reviews. We were involved in direct care to 3 elderly manic patients, in our clinical activity in 2 Psychiatric Hospitals in Lisbon.

Elderly mania is a relatively rare and ill-defined syndrome, with many possible causes (genetic, iatrogenic, metabolic, infectious, oncological, traumatic SNC injuries, epilepsy, and many other neurological disorders). Appropriated exclusion of organic pathology through a correct differential diagnosis is mandatory to obtain a suitable therapeutic approach and favorable prognosis. The growing life expectancy suggests that this neuropsychiatric syndrome should be a focus of attention for psychiatrists, internists, and other health care technicians, especially those directly involved in the care of elderly patients in settings such as state/private hospitals, private clinics, day care facilities and nursing homes.