Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This episode covers treatment of bipolar disorder with Dr. Roger McIntyre, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at University of Toronto and Head of the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada.

In this episode, we follow the case of Devon, a 28 year old male who presents to the ER with acute mania and is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Our team of psychiatry residents from University of Toronto guide you through Devon’s trajectory with reference to CANMAT guidelines and expertise from Dr. McIntyre. We discuss how to manage acute mania and acute depression and what management looks like for outpatients (pharmacological and non-pharmacological). Special topics include treating severe agitation on the inpatient ward and things to consider for lithium treatment. 

The Learning Objectives for this episode are as follows:

By the end of this episode, the listener will be able to…

• Treat acute mania and depression in bipolar disorder 
• Prevent relapse in bipolar disorder through maintenance pharmacotherapy
• Prevent relapse through nonpharmacological interventions
• Obtain informed consent for and initiate lithium treatment

Guest staff psychiatrist: Dr. Roger McIntyre (University Health Network, Toronto)

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