Outcomes to Monitor When Treating Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia

Article Abstract

The long-term goals of treating both bipolardisorder and schizophrenia are to achieve remission, promote functionalrecovery, prevent relapse, and improve patients’ subjective response. To meetthese goals in patients with bipolar disorder, management of the acute episodesof mania, depression, and mixed symptomatology is necessary and may help tomaintain favorable patient behavior and avoid hospitalization. In this review,the definitions of remission, recovery, and relapse are compared and contrastedbetween bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to highlight the similarities and,most notably, the differences in assessments between the two conditions. Theimplications for the treatment of bipolar disorder stem from the ideology thatunderlies many of the studies in schizophrenia.