title: Unmet needs of bipolar disorder patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bipolar disorder (BD) is a serious mental illness with adverse impact on the lives of the patients and their caregivers. BD is associated with many limitations in personal and interpersonal functioning and restricts the patients' ability to use their potential capabilities fully. Bipolar patients long to live meaningful lives, but this goal is hard to achieve for those with poor insight. With progress and humanization of society, the issue of patients' needs became an important topic. The objective of the paper is to provide the up-to-date data on the unmet needs of BD patients and their caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic computerized examination of MEDLINE publications from 1970 to 2015, via the keywords "bipolar disorder", "mania", "bipolar depression", and "unmet needs", was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients' needs may differ in various stages of the disorder and may have different origin and goals. Thus, we divided them into five groups relating to their nature: those connected with symptoms, treatment, quality of life, family, and pharmacotherapy. We suggested several implications of these needs for pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trying to follow patients' needs may be a crucial point in the treatment of BD patients. However, many needs remain unmet due to both medical and social factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prasko
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Latalova
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Psychiatric Department, Martin, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Radovan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hruby
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ociskova
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Department of Psychiatry, Regional Hospital Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holubova
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kamaradova
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mainerova
keywords: bipolar disorder; family; medication; psychotherapy; quality of life; stigma; treatment; unmet needs