Treatment of bipolar disorder.
In this article, we investigate the range of treatments prescribed for bipolar disorder. Our analysis shows that, while a large portion of patients is treated by a single mechanism of action (44%), an equally sizable group of patients receives two or more drug classes (56%) to treat the disorder. From a therapeutic class perspective, 71 percent of patients with bipolar disorder receive an atypical antipsychotic, 53 percent receive a mood stabilizer, and 30 percent receive an antidepressant. While antipsychotics and mood stabilizers represent the vast majority of bipolar disorder monotherapy (90%), antidepressants are more commonly seen as part of a combination treatment.
Ventimiglia
Jeffrey
J
Mr. Ventimiglia is an analyst in the Drug Safety and Medical Affairs Department, Quintiles, Inc., Falls Church, Virginia.
Kalali
Amir H
AH
McIntyre
Roger
R