An overview of pharmacotherapy for bipolar I disorder

Bipolar I disorder (BD I) is complex with a chronic course that significantly impacts a sufferer's quality of life. As of right now, there are many available treatments that aim to rapidly treat manic or depressive episodes and stabilize mood. The purpose of this report is to provide an up-to-date comprehensive review of the available evidence-based trials of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of BD I.

This paper reviews randomized active comparator-controlled or placebo-controlled trials evaluating the use of current pharmacotherapy in adults with BD I from phase III to clinical practice. Monotherapy and combination therapy for acute and long-term treatment were reviewed for this purpose.

There are many treatments available for BD mania; however, the depressive and stabilization phases of the illness remain a clinical challenge. Unfortunately, randomized controlled trials do not represent 'real world' patients, as their strict inclusion and exclusion criteria do not allow for different features sometimes present in patients to be considered. Research efforts must also focus on treating cognitive deficits, which adds to lower functional outcome. The authors believe that there is dire need for new, more targeted treatments in BD I, with a critical view of the side effects.