International Consensus Group on Bipolar I Depression Treatment Guidelines

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Dr. Calabrese began the meeting by saying that in the management of7 bipolar disorder the guidelines available for treating mania are fairly standard worldwide. However, the guidelines for treating bipolar depression vary, sometimes substantially, from country to country. Therefore, the primary aim of the consensus group was to discuss the treatment of bipolar I depression across different countries and develop a consensus on international treatment guidelines for this phase of the illness. The group sought to formulate its recommendations on the basis of the available clinical evidence, rather than relying on expert opinion as is the case with some guidelines, given the numerous agents being studied for bipolar depression in well-designed clinical trials.