[Psychopharmacological treatment of bipolar disease]

This paper gives an update on the psychopharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder. The antimanic efficacy of lithium is well documented. The same applies to valproate, which is also efficacious in mixed mania. Conventional antipsychotics act fast in mania and do not require blood tests, but they have considerable neurological side effects. The newer antipsychotics, olanzapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone, have also been shown to have antimanic efficacy. Clozapine is extremely effective, also when other treatment fails. For the treatment of bipolar depression, lithium, lamotrigine, and antidepressants all seem to work, but antidepressants may sometimes precipitate mania or worsen the course of illness. For prophylaxis, lithium is still to be considered the first drug of choice. However, for several reasons, for instance treatment failure or side effects, long-term treatment with antiepileptics may often be necessary. Among the antiepileptics, carbamazepine, valproate, and lamotrigine are the best studied.