Many patients with bipolar disorder remained on the same medication regimen despite indications of side effects or non-response to treatment, a recent study found. Researchers examined data that reported 23,406 visits made by 1,815 patients treated for bipolar disorder during the STEP-BD practical clinical trial. They found:

• 36% of visits showed a least 1 indication for adjustment.

• The most common indications were non-response to medication, side effects, and start of a new illness episode.

• Among visits with an indication for adjustment, no adjustment occurred 19% of the time, which may be suggestive of clinical inertia.

• In multivariable models, presence of any indication for medication adjustment was a predictor of receiving one, although not as strong as clinical status measures.

Citation: Hodgkin D, Merrick EL, O’Brien PL, McGuire TG, et al. Testing for clinical inertia in medication treatment of bipolar disorder. [Published online ahead of print June 21, 2016]. J Affect Disord. doi:10.106/j.jad.2016.03.073.