title: The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Task Force report on the nomenclature of course and outcome in bipolar disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Via an international panel of experts, this paper attempts to document, review, interpret, and propose operational definitions used to describe the course of bipolar disorders for worldwide use, and to disseminate consensus opinion, supported by the existing literature, in order to better predict course and treatment outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Under the auspices of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders, a task force was convened to examine, report, discuss, and integrate findings from the scientific literature related to observational and clinical trial studies in order to reach consensus and propose terminology describing course and outcome in bipolar disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consensus opinion was reached regarding the definition of nine terms (response, remission, recovery, relapse, recurrence, subsyndromal states, predominant polarity, switch, and functional outcome) commonly used to describe course and outcomes in bipolar disorders. Further studies are needed to validate the proposed definitions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Determination and dissemination of a consensus nomenclature serve as the first step toward producing a validated and standardized system to define course and outcome in bipolar disorders in order to identify predictors of outcome and effects of treatment. The task force acknowledges that there is limited validity to the proposed terms, as for the most part they represent a consensus opinion. These definitions need to be validated in existing databases and in future studies, and the primary goals of the task force are to stimulate research on the validity of proposed concepts and further standardize the technical nomenclature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7792, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. tohen@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tohen
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colom
authors.forename: S Nassir
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Ghaemi
authors.forename: Lakshmi N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Yatham
authors.forename: Gin S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Malhi
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Willem A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Nolen
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vieta
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kapczinski
authors.forename: Guy M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: Trisha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suppes
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.forename: Kn Roy
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Chengappa
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grunze
authors.forename: Philip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Shigenobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanba
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berk
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000592:standards; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D032921:Consensus; D006801:Humans; D012955:Societies, Medical; D009626:Terminology as Topic