title: [Differential diagnosis of and pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder].
abstract: Bipolar disorders constitute a group of frequent, chronic psychiatric illnesses with a most severe impact on the patient's life. The course can be very individual and heterogeneous, the best known and most frequent manifestations include the classical bipolar I and bipolar II disorders. However, in Germany even typical bipolar I disorders are underdiagnosed and, consequently, undertreated. This is true despite the fact that the number of pharmacological treatment options has rapidly increased during recent years, both in the field of anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotics. This supplies us today with new therapeutic strategies, not only for acute mania, but also for bipolar depression and maintenance treatment, and it is feasible to assume that there will be more options available within the next few years.
authors.affiliation: Academic Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Heinz.Grunze@newcastle.ac.uk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grunze
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grunze
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Amann
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D018692:Antimanic Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents