Up the Down Staircase: Addressing Adherence in Relapsing Bipolar Disorder

Difficulty with medication adherence is common in bipolar disorder and results in significant disability and suffering.  There are many potential barriers to medication adherence.  These include external factors such as complex medication regimens, side effects, and issues with access to care, as well as patient specific factors such as sociodemographic issues, maladaptive beliefs about the illness, and the severity and nature of an individual’s bipolar symptoms. This session will provide an overview of these barriers and practical strategies for addressing some of them in clinical practice, with a focus on crafting an effective and tolerable medication regimen for our patients. In particular, the use of Long Acting Injectable (LAI) treatments to enhance medication adherence in bipolar disorder will be explored.

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the prevalence and impact of medication non-adherence in bipolar disorder
  • Discuss barriers to medication adherence
  • Identify potential non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic solutions to improve medication adherence
  • Explain the role of long acting injectable antipsychotics in the treatment of bipolar disorder

Additional Information

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PDF icon Slides and Disclosures1.22 MB
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AAFP
  • 1.00 AANP
  • 1.00 ACCME (All Other)
  • 1.00 ACCME (MD/DO Only)
  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.00 ANCC
  • 1.00 APA
Course opens: 
06/25/2021
Course expires: 
06/24/2022
Rating: 
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Sanjai Rao, MD, DFAPA

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Residency Training Director
University of California, San Diego

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AAFP
  • 1.00 AANP
  • 1.00 ACCME (All Other)
  • 1.00 ACCME (MD/DO Only)
  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.00 ANCC
  • 1.00 APA
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