Concordance with Treatment Guidelines for Bipolar Disorder: Data from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder

The use of guideline concordant pharmacological treatments was substantially higher than reported under naturalistic conditions. We speculate that basic provider education plus a collaborative approach to medication choice may have contributed to the high treatment concordance rates in this large national trial. As in other studies, few patient-specific factors were associated with the likelihood of receiving guideline-concordant care.