Bipolar (affective) disorder is a challenging psychiatric illness to manage and is associated with significant risk of morbidity and mortality. A meta-analysis has revealed that suicide is 20 times higher in patients with bipolar than the general population (7). Acute relapses of bipolar are often managed in secondary care with hospitalisation whereas long-term maintenance management is achieved largely in primary care. This paper discusses the ways in which lifestyle, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy can be utilised in maintenance management, how they are advantageous in patients and what obstacles are faced.
Keywords: bipolar disorder, maintenance management, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, lifestyle management, non-compliance, monitoring bipolar, primary care