Which of the following has a risk of triggering mania in bipolar disorder when used alone?

• A. SSRI antidepressants
• B. Antipsychotics
• C. Benzodiazepines
• D. Mood stabilizers

Answer: (A)

In bipolar disorder, using antidepressants without a mood-stabilizing agent can push mood from a depressive state into mania. Antidepressants raise overall monoamine activity, which can destabilize the already labile mood circuits in bipolar patients and trigger a manic episode. Among the options, SSRI antidepressants are the classic example of this risk when used alone, making them the best choice for this scenario.

Antipsychotics and mood stabilizers are typically used to treat or prevent mania and do not carry the same switch risk when used appropriately. Benzodiazepines provide sedation or anxiety relief but don’t address mood stabilization and aren’t known to prevent or reliably trigger mania.