Anticonvulsants in the treatment of bipolar disorder

In the last decade, a proliferation of research has emerged concerning the use of somatic treatments with anticonvulsant properties, e.g., carbamazepine, valproate, clonazepam, oxcarbazepine, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for patients with bipolar disorder. A sufficient number of controlled studies have been conducted to allow critical review of the evidence supporting the efficacy of these treatments for acute bipolar manic and depressive episodes, as well as for the prevention of subsequent episodes. Further research is needed to establish the prophylactic efficacy of anticonvulsants as maintenance therapies and, perhaps most importantly, to provide clinical and biological predictors of response.