How is the STEP-BD study different from other treatment studies of bipolar disorder?
A. STEP-BD differs from traditional bipolar disorder clinical trials in several important ways. Because the main goal of STEP-BD is to improve treatment and outcomes for all people with bipolar disorder, it was designed as a large-scale, public health study that included real-world patients contending with multiple mental and/or physical illnesses who are seeking care in their own communities. Most other clinical research studies exclude people with co-existing disorders, thus limiting those studies’ real-world applicability. In addition, STEP-BD was long-term. In most clinical trials, individuals are usually asked to participate for a relatively short period of time (e.g., 8-12 weeks), and receive only one of a few treatments being studied. In contrast, STEP-BD offered participants long-term continuity of care. Once enrolled, participants could receive care for as long as they were in the program — up to five years — and were monitored systematically, even when they were feeling well.
