Search Here

Antidepressants may not help treat patients with bipolar disorder, according to a new study.

Antidepressant use for bipolar disorder remains controversial. Some experts believe antidepressant treatment for bipolar disorder may have the potential to increase the manic switch.  Others recommend short-term antidepressant treatment and early discontinuation.

Lead researcher Dr. Yingli Zhang and colleagues from Mental Health Institute of Central South University in China, conducted large-sample double-blind randomized controlled trials, excluded open-label design studies, and supplemented studies involving homogeneous patients.

The findings revealed that antidepressants are not effective in treating bipolar disorder.  Researchers found that antidepressants were not better than placebos and other medication in short-term, and long-term use. The study also revealed that the drugs do not produce higher response and remission rates of bipolar disorder.

The findings are published in the journal Neural Regeneration Research.