What are the Treatment Challenges of bipolar disorder?

Factors that can complicate treatment in bipolar disorder include:

  • Bipolar disorder is often unrecognized and misdiagnosed.
  • The clinical course of the disease can be irregular and unpredictable.
  • Similar to schizophrenia, reports by the affected person may be influenced by false perceptions while experiencing symptoms.
  • Single therapy is often not effective due to the diverse nature of the symptoms.
  • Drug-induced side effects (e.g., weight gain, tremor, and GI and neurologic side effects) are problematic.
  • Many people do not adhere to treatment regimens.

In addition, some of the clinical features of bipolar disorder may also become challenges to effective treatment. For example, people in a manic state may damage property, spend extravagantly, and act out in public, resulting in incarceration and misdiagnosis. If the disease presents with depression, the fact that there may be an underlying bipolar disorder may be overlooked for an extended period of time, especially if there are other factors in the patient’s life that might be construed as the cause of depression.

Bipolar disorder may be associated with repeated disruptions in the person’s ability to function, leading to loss of job, health insurance, or other reasons for not being able to pay for treatment.