Treatment guidelines: Current and future management of bipolar disorder

The emergence of new treatments for bipolar disorder has coincided with a p roliferation of published treatment algorithm recommendations and practice guidelines. Several guidelines derive from critical appraisals of current t reatment literature and, as such, may serve as a critical reference resourc e to complement individual clinical judgment. This review describes points of overlap and discordance across currently available treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder and presents common clinical situations in which the c onsultation of treatment guidelines may provide clinicians with useful info rmation and a rationale for making sequential treatment decisions.