20-Year Trends in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Bipolar Disorder by Psychiatrists in Outpatient Care Settings

Am J Psychiatry. 2020 Aug 1;177(8):706-715. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19091000. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Abstract

Objective: Pharmacological options for treating bipolar disorder have increased over the past 20 years, with several second-generation antipsychotics receiving regulatory approval in the 1990s. The authors describe trends in use of pharmacological agents in the outpatient management of bipolar disorder.

Methods: Using nationally representative data from the 1997-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, the authors examined trends in the use of mood stabilizers, first- and second-generation antipsychotics, and antidepressants among psychiatrist visits for which bipolar disorder was listed among the primary diagnoses. A logistic regression model was used to identify statistically significant trends, with covariates including age, gender, race/ethnicity, and primary insurance.

Results: Antipsychotics were increasingly more commonly prescribed, increasing from 12.4% of outpatient visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997-2000 period to 51.4% in the 2013-2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=5.05, 95% CI=3.65-7.01). Use of mood stabilizers decreased from 62.3% of visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997-2000 period to 26.4% in the 2013-2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=0.18, 95% CI=0.13-0.27). Prescription of antidepressants occurred in 47.0% of visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997-2000 period and 57.5% in the 2013-2016 period. Prescription of an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer increased substantially, from 17.9% in the 1997-2000 period to 40.9% in the 2013-2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=2.88, 95% CI=2.06-4.03).

Conclusions: Substantial changes have occurred in the treatment of bipolar disorder over the past 20 years, with second-generation antipsychotics in large measure supplanting traditional mood stabilizers. Antidepressant prescriptions persisted despite a lack of evidence for their efficacy in bipolar disorder and concerns about increasing the risk of mania. Research is needed to compare the real-world effectiveness and tolerability of newer antipsychotics with those of traditional mood stabilizers.

Keywords: Antipsychotics; Bipolar Disorder; Lithium; Outpatient.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Ambulatory Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Bipolar Disorder* / drug therapy
  • Bipolar Disorder* / epidemiology
  • Drug Utilization / trends
  • Ethnicity
  • Female
  • Health Care Surveys / methods
  • Health Care Surveys / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians' / trends*
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychotropic Drugs* / classification
  • Psychotropic Drugs* / therapeutic use
  • Sex Factors
  • United States / epidemiology

Substances

  • Psychotropic Drugs