title: Role of mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder.
abstract: Bipolar affective disorder is a common severe illness which is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. The area of pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorders is an exciting one with a number of recent new developments. This article summarises the current state of evidence regarding the efficacy of lithium, valproate and carbamazepine for the treatment of bipolar disorders and also highlights the emerging role of the atypical antipsychotics and newer anticonvulsants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. zubin.bhagwagar@psych.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Zubin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bhagwagar
authors.forename: Guy M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Goodwin