The Bipolar Medication Mistake That Keeps Patients Relapsing
Pearls and Prep · Jul 24, 2026 · 25:52
Pearls and Prep · Jul 24, 2026 · 25:52
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The Polarity Index may be one of the most underutilized concepts in bipolar disorder—and once you understand it, choosing maintenance medications becomes dramatically easier. In this episode, I break down the Polarity Index into plain language and show you how to stop memorizing drug lists and start thinking like an expert clinician.
You'll learn why acute treatment and maintenance treatment are not the same decision, how to identify a patient's predominant pole (mania vs. depression), and how that single insight can transform your medication selection. Through realistic mock patient cases, we'll walk through when to choose lamotrigine, lithium, quetiapine, aripiprazole, lurasidone, cariprazine, and Symbyax, while tying every decision back to receptor pharmacology and long-term relapse prevention.
In this episode you'll learn:Whether you're a PMHNP student, psychiatry resident, psychiatric nurse practitioner, physician assistant, psychiatrist, or anyone looking to master psychopharmacology, this episode provides a practical framework you'll use every time you treat bipolar disorder.
OG article on polarity index: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924977X11002616?via%3Dihub
