Why is the STEP-BD acute depression medication trial important?
A. The average person with bipolar disorder typically experiences major depressive episodes more than three times as frequently as symptoms of severe mood elevation or mania. Bipolar depression is difficult to treat, and its persistence and severity is associated with reduced ability to function in daily life. Researchers continue to debate about how best to treat bipolar depression, and whether antidepressants are helpful or might actually worsen the course of bipolar illness by causing manic or hypomanic symptoms (e.g., “affective switch”). The acute depression medication trial of STEP-BD was designed to provide answers to some of these important questions.
