Objective: Typical antipsychotics have their indication in the ultra-short (first week) treatment of severe episodes of mania. In this setting the Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (MAS) was psychometrically compared with the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI) to assess its ability to measure response.
Method: Ratings on patients with marked to severe mania (n = 80) who participated in the clinical trials to evaluate the ultra-short antimanic effect of zuclopenthixol acetate were assessed. The MAS was analysed for internal validity (total score a sufficient statistic) and for external validity.
Results: The MAS was shown to have a high internal validity showing onset of action already after days of treatment. After 6 days of treatment 53% of the patients responded according to the MAS but only 30% according to the CGI. The difference was statistically significant.
Conclusion: The MAS has been found to be a valid scale to measure early onset of action and response in the ultra-short antimanic treatment with typical antipsychotics.