How should we diagnose bipolar disorder? It isn’t always easy and current bipolar screening tools are problematic for a number of reasons.

Why should we as psychiatrists focus on the psychosocial aspects of bipolar disorder? Dr. Miklowitz explores the benefits of a treatment program that combines targeted psychosocial treatments and medication.

Should we expand our definition of bipolar disorder? Dr. Claudia Baldassano discusses bipolar diagnoses in this Expert Q&A.

Augmentation of antidepressants with antipsychotics has become a common practice, and aripiprazole (Abilify) has been FDA-approved at doses from 2 mg/day to 15 mg/day for this purpose. In a recent report, 225 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who had failed one to four antidepressant trials were studied to determine whether low dose Abilify really works.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

Assessing a patient’s risk of suicide is one of the most common, yet challenging, exercises for the psychiatrist.

We’ve all been taught not to prescribe addictive drugs to patients who will abuse them, but in the real world it is not always easy to tell who those patients are or to manage the resulting problems.

What are some ways clinicians can minimize the risks to patients and their own liability in psychiatric practice? Dr. Paul Appelbaum explores risk management in clinical practice in this month’s Q&A.

Do patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) respond better when psychiatrists offer the type of treatment—medication or psychotherapy—that the patient prefers?

No one seems to be without a cell phone these days, so it only makes sense that we should start using these devices to carry out tasks that we used to do in a more “old-fashioned” way.