This guideline offers treatment recommendations to help psychiatrists develop plans for the care of adult patients with bipolar disorder. It was developed by the American Psychiatric Association.

Originally published in April 2002. Copyright © 2002 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF INTENT

GUIDE TO USING THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE

INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW OF GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

PART A: TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Psychiatric Management
2. Acute Treatment
3. Maintenance Treatment

II. FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A TREATMENT PLAN

1. Psychiatric Management
2. Acute Treatment
3. Maintenance Treatment

III. SPECIAL CLINICAL FEATURES INFLUENCING THE TREATMENT PLAN

1. Psychiatric Features
2. Demographic and Psychosocial Factors
3. Concurrent General Medical Conditions

PART B: BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND REVIEW OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

IV. DISEASE DEFINITION, NATURAL HISTORY AND COURSE, AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

1. Definition of Bipolar Disorder
2. Natural History and Course
3. Epidemiology

V. REVIEW AND SYNTHESIS OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

1. Somatic Treatments of Acute Manic and Mixed Episodes
2. Somatic Treatments of Acute Depressive Episodes
3. Rapid Cycling
4. Maintenance Treatment
5. Psychosocial Interventions
6. Somatic Therapies for Children and Adolescents

PART C: FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS

VI. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

VII. ACUTE TREATMENT

1. Manic and Mixed Episodes
2. Depressive Episodes
3. Rapid Cycling

VIII. MAINTENANCE TREATMENT

IX. PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS

Appendix I: Educational Sources for Depression and Bipolar Disorder
Individuals and Organizations That Submitted Comments References

Here is the December/2005 update to Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Source

• American Psychiatric Association: Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder (revision). Am J Psychiatry 2002; 159:1–50

Since the time this document was published, a number of controlled treatment studies on aspects of bipolar disorder have been completed and published or are in press, including studies of second-generation (atypical) antipsychotics as monotherapy and as adjunctive treatment (with more traditional mood stabilizers) for the acute treatment of mania, studies of antiepileptic agents for the acute treatment of mania, trials for three medications for the acute treatment of bipolar depression, four monotherapy and one combination therapy relapse prevention studies, and studies of psychosocial interventions for maintenance. The evidence from these studies supports a substantially expanded set of options for clinicians who treat patients with bipolar disorder. Click here for the guideline watch that briefly reviews the most important of the studies. The majority of the studies were industry supported.

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