Guidelines for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder Across the Lifespan: Summary and a 2023 Update

What is it about?

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition characterized by extreme shifts in mood called depressive and manic episodes. These episodes cause significant difficulty in day-to-day functioning and affect quality of life. The clinical complexity of bipolar disorder often creates a substantial challenge for physicians who must select the most appropriate treatment strategy from a range of available options. To assist physicians in addressing this challenging task, the 2018 Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) guidelines collected the evidence on the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of various treatments for bipolar disorder and translated it into recommendations for physicians. This paper provides a summary of the 2018 CANMAT/ISBD guideline recommendations and incorporates updates from studies published in the past 5 years.

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Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This paper provides clinicians with rapid access to the most recent evidence and key recommendations for the treatment of bipolar disorder across the lifespan.