title: Treatment of bipolar disorder.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Mr. Ventimiglia is an analyst in the Drug Safety and Medical Affairs Department, Quintiles, Inc., Falls Church, Virginia.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ventimiglia
authors.forename: Amir H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kalali
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McIntyre