Bipolar Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bipolar, including details on bipolar disorder, symptoms, treatment, depression, medication.

Maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder: a focus on aripiprazole.

McIntyre RS, Woldeyohannes HO, Yasgur BS, Soczynska JK, Miranda A, Konarski JZ

University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Pharmacology, Toronto, ON, Canada. roger.mcintyre@uhn.on.ca

Bipolar disorders (BD) are chronic medical syndromes heterogeneous in phenomenology, pathophysiology and treatment. The longitudinal course of bipolar disorders is often characterized by nonrecovery, subsyndromal symptoms, enduring cognitive deficits and impairment in psychosocial function. The risk for premature mortality from unnatural (e.g., suicide) as well as natural causes (e.g., cardiovascular disease) is significantly higher than the general population. The therapeutic objectives of maintenance therapy are to prevent relapse/recurrence, reduce the risk for premature mortality, promote functional restoration and enhance quality of life. A chronic disease management model, which includes pharmacologic and manual-based psychosocial interventions as paradigmatic components, provides a framework for best practice and optimal patient outcome. This article provides a succinct review of treatments approved by the US FDA for maintenance in bipolar disorders, with a focus on the most recently approved atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole.

Published 6 August 2007 in Expert Rev Neurother, 7(8): 919-25.
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