Low cholesterol levels linked to mania

This study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders 2007 Jan;97(1-3):247-51

Study title and authors:
Platelet serotonin and serum lipids in psychotic mania.

Sagud M, Mihaljevic-Peles A, Pivac N, Jakovljevic M, Muck-Seler D.
University Hospital Center Zagreb, Department of Psychiatry, Kispaticeva 12, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16820211

One of the aims of this study was to determine the relationship between cholesterol levels and mania. The study included 40 male patients with type I bipolar affective disorder, current episode mania (DSM-IV criteria), and in 32 healthy male subjects.

The study found:
(a) The cholesterol levels of the patients with mania were 14% lower than the cholesterol levels of the healthy subjects.
(b) The HDL cholesterol levels of the patients with mania were 7% lower than the HDL cholesterol levels of the healthy subjects.
(c) The LDL cholesterol levels of the patients with mania were 20% lower than the LDL cholesterol levels of the healthy subjects.

The study shows that patients with mania have low levels of cholesterol and LDL cholesterol compared to healthy people.