Diagnosis and treatment of patients with bipolar disorder: A review for advanced practice nurses

Purpose This review article provides an overview of the frequency, burden of illness, diagnosis, and treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) from the perspective of the advanced practice nurses (APNs). Data sources PubMed searches were conducted using the following keywords: “bipolar disorder and primary care,” restricted to dates 2000 to present; “bipolar disorder and nurse practitioner”; and “bipolar disorder and clinical nurse specialist.” Selected articles were relevant to adult outpatient care in the United States, with a prioritization of articles written by APNs or published in nursing journals. Conclusions BD has a substantial lifetime prevalence in the population at 4%. Because the manic or depressive symptoms of BD tend to be severe and recurrent over a patient's lifetime, the condition is associated with significant burden to the individual, caregivers, and society. Clinician awareness that BD may be present increases the likelihood of successful recognition and appropriate treatment. A number of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments are available for acute and maintenance treatments, with the prospect of achieving reduced symptom burden and increased functioning for many patients. Implications for practice Awareness of the disease burden, diagnostic issues, and management choices in BD has the potential to enhance outcome in substantial proportions of patients.