The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for the Biological Treatment of Bipolar Disorders: Update 2010 on the treatment of acute bipolar depression.
OBJECTIVE
These guidelines are based on a first edition that was published in 2002, and have been edited and updated with the available scientific evidence until September 2009. Their purpose is to supply a systematic overview of all scientific evidence pertaining to the treatment of acute bipolar depression in adults.


METHODS
The data used for these guidelines have been extracted from a MEDLINE and EMBASE search, from the clinical trial database clinicaltrials.gov, from recent proceedings of key conferences, and from various national and international treatment guidelines. Their scientific rigor was categorised into six levels of evidence (A-F). As these guidelines are intended for clinical use, the scientific evidence was finally assigned different grades of recommendation to ensure practicability.


RESULTS
We identified 10 pharmacological monotherapies or combination treatments with at least limited positive evidence for efficacy in bipolar depression, several of them still experimental and backed up only by a single study. Only one medication was considered to be sufficiently studied to merit full positive evidence.


CONCLUSIONS
Although major advances have been made since the first edition of this guideline in 2002, there are many areas which still need more intense research to optimize treatment. The majority of treatment recommendations is still based on limited data and leaves considerable areas of uncertainty.
Newcastle University, RVI, Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Heinz.Grunze@ncl.ac.uk
Heinz
H
Grunze
Eduard
E
Vieta
Guy M
GM
Goodwin
Charles
C
Bowden
Rasmus W
RW
Licht
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Möller
Siegfried
S
Kasper
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077152:Olanzapine; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D014227:Triazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D018020:Lithium Compounds; D014227:Triazines; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D002220:Carbamazepine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D000077152:Olanzapine; D000077213:Lamotrigine