Bipolar Disorder: Diagnosis, Mechanism, and the Evolving Treatment Landscape

Bipolar depression is often misdiagnosed as unipolar depression, and that error shapes everything that follows in treatment. This session applies DSM-5-TR criteria to distinguish bipolar I, bipolar II, and mixed features, connects current pathophysiology models to the pharmacology of lithium, anticonvulsants, and second-generation antipsychotics, and previews long-acting injectables and late-stage agents in development for bipolar I. Attendees will leave able to match FDA-approved treatments to acute mania, bipolar depression, or maintenance and compare agents on efficacy and tolerability.