Clinical Practice Guidelines: Praise and Problems

Published in this issue of the Journal is the article "Clinical Practice Guidelines for Bipolar Disorder From the Department of Veterans Affairs." The particulars of the described pathways are the result of a rigorous process consisting of multiple reviews and revisions that brought forth guidelines in broad agreement with those produced by other experts and different methods. While prior guidelines have often seemed impractical by virtue of their length or complexity, the hard work of Bauer and colleagues presents us with a system of practice guidelines that is comprehensive, flexible, and concise enough for use by clinicians in routine psychiatric practice. The accessibility of the guidelines presented in this article raises serious issues worthy of our consideration.