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Pharmacological treatment in the early phase of bipolar disorders: what stage are we at?

Version 2 2024-06-02, 13:16
Version 1 2015-03-18, 11:25
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-02, 13:16 authored by P Conus, Michael BerkMichael Berk, PD McGorry
OBJECTIVE: To review available guidelines, explore treatment strategies currently applied, identify critical issues and propose direction for new developments. METHOD: Literature review based on Medline search and hand search of relevant literature. RESULTS: Pharmacological treatment of the early phase of bipolar disorders lacks specific guidelines. Mood stabilizers are often prescribed after many years of illness, antipsychotic medications are frequently prescribed and often for extensive periods of time, and adherence to medication is relatively poor. In addition, mania is frequently misdiagnosed, and there is limited knowledge on which to base identification of bipolar depression and identification of the initial prodrome to bipolar disorders. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need for more research in the early phases of bipolar disorders to develop means to identify patients earlier and to develop approaches that would address the specific needs of this population in a more adequate manner.

History

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

Volume

40

Pagination

199-207

Location

Australia

ISSN

1440-1614

eISSN

1440-1614

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2006, SAGE Publications

Issue

3

Publisher

SAGE Publications