TY - JOUR
T1 - Bipolar depression
T2 - Overview and commentary
AU - Baldessarini, Ross J.
AU - Vieta, Eduard
AU - Calabrese, Joseph R.
AU - Tohen, Mauricio
AU - Bowden, Charles L.
PY - 2010/5/1
Y1 - 2010/5/1
N2 - Depressive phases are the most prevalent component of bipolar disorders, even with modern treatment. Bipolar depressive morbidity is often misdiagnosed and is limited in response to available treatments. These conditions are especially debilitating and are associated with psychiatric comorbidity, substance abuse, functional disability, and increased mortality owing to early suicide and accidents, and later medical illnesses. There is growing awareness that bipolar depression is one of the greatest challenges in modern psychiatry. It is essential to differentiate various forms of depression, dysthymia, and dysphoric mixed states of bipolar disorders from the clinical features of more common, unipolar major depressive disorders. In bipolar depression, antidepressant responses often are unsatisfactory, and these agents probably are overused. Emerging treatments, including several anticonvulsant and modern antipsychotic drugs, as well as lithiumalone or in selected combinationsare partially effective for bipolar depression. Interest in recognizing bipolar depression and seeking more effective, specific, and safer treatments for it are growing.
AB - Depressive phases are the most prevalent component of bipolar disorders, even with modern treatment. Bipolar depressive morbidity is often misdiagnosed and is limited in response to available treatments. These conditions are especially debilitating and are associated with psychiatric comorbidity, substance abuse, functional disability, and increased mortality owing to early suicide and accidents, and later medical illnesses. There is growing awareness that bipolar depression is one of the greatest challenges in modern psychiatry. It is essential to differentiate various forms of depression, dysthymia, and dysphoric mixed states of bipolar disorders from the clinical features of more common, unipolar major depressive disorders. In bipolar depression, antidepressant responses often are unsatisfactory, and these agents probably are overused. Emerging treatments, including several anticonvulsant and modern antipsychotic drugs, as well as lithiumalone or in selected combinationsare partially effective for bipolar depression. Interest in recognizing bipolar depression and seeking more effective, specific, and safer treatments for it are growing.
KW - Anticonvulsants
KW - Antidepressants
KW - Antipsychotics
KW - Bipolar disorder
KW - Dysphoria
KW - Dysthy-mia
KW - Major depression
KW - Mixed states
KW - Mood stabilizers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77951060908&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77951060908&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/10673221003747955
DO - 10.3109/10673221003747955
M3 - Review article
C2 - 20415631
AN - SCOPUS:77951060908
VL - 18
SP - 143
EP - 157
JO - Harvard Review of Psychiatry
JF - Harvard Review of Psychiatry
SN - 1067-3229
IS - 3
ER -