Prescribing trends have changed over the last few decades, as shown on the slide.3 An analysis using US data shows decreased rates of lithium, and mood stabilizer prescriptions, coupled with an increase in the rates of antipsychotic use – perhaps driven by the increased availability of antipsychotics that are effective in treating bipolar disorder.3
References:
1. López-Muñoz F, Shen WW, D’Ocon P, et al. A history of the pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19 (7): 2143.
2. Vieta E, Torrent C. Functional remediation: the pathway from remission to recovery in bipolar disorder. World Psychiatry 2016; 15 (3): 288–289.
3. Rhee TG, Olfson M, Nierenberg AA, Wilkinson ST. 20-year trends in the pharmacologic treatment of bipolar disorder by psychiatrists in outpatient care settings. Am J Psychiatry 2020; 177 (8): 706–715.