Summary of Guideline for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

The past decade has witnessed an extraordinary expansion of treatments available for bipolar disorder. Ten years ago, lithium was the only approved agent for this condition. Since that time, carbamazepine, valproate and olanzapine have received regulatory approval for the acute treatment of mania. Concurrently, randomized controlled trials of various psychological interventions have been recently reported, respecting the important psychological effects of this condition. The present summary provides recommended treatment guidelines for each phase of this condition: mania, mixed episodes, depression and long-term prophylaxis. Levels of evidence for specific treatments are provided and placed in the context of overall principles of quality clinical management.