Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

© The Author(s) 2016. It is well recognized that medications have an important role to play in preventing relapse in bipolar disorder. The impact these treatments have on rates of admission to hospital in particular has been less well studied. We combined data on hospitalization from 11 randomized controlled trials in a network meta-analysis. We found that the published evidence demonstrates significant reductions in admission rates compared to placebo from lithium (risk ratio (RR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.59), valproate (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.90), a combination of lithium and valproate (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.90), carbamazepine (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.29-0.73) and olanzapine (RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.16-0.43). The evidence base contributing to these estimates remains fairly small, leading to broad confidence intervals for estimates of effect. More precise estimates could be obtained if unpublished outcomes data from other trials in this area became available. Several pharmacological treatments appear to be effective at reducing the need for hospital admission in people with bipolar disorder.

Original publication

DOI

10.1177/0269881116672099

Type

Journal article

Journal

Journal of Psychopharmacology

Publication Date

01/03/2017

Volume

31

Pages

387 - 388