Exploring Therapeutic Advances for Bipolar Disorder With Mixed Features and Anxious Distress: An Update for Pharmacists

This activity includes a Pharmacy SoundScripts audio narration.

Program Description

Adults with chronic behavioral health illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, face many challenges and barriers in receiving appropriate health care services and treatment. Complicating the management of bipolar disorder is its presentation with mixed features, including comorbid anxiety, or concurrent symptoms of depression and mania/hypomania. This activity reviews diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder with mixed features as well as treatment challenges that include a limited patient response to available therapies and a risk for mood switching with therapies that are targeted towards only one set of symptoms. It is important for pharmacists to be familiar with current treatment guideline recommendations for the treatment of bipolar disorder with mixed features and to be able to differentiate between antipsychotic therapy options, including their safety and efficacy profiles. This article provides practical information that pharmacists can refer to when counseling patients with bipolar disorder on drug administration and expectations, providing recommendations for optimizing adherence and addressing missed doses, minimizing potential drug interactions, and managing common adverse effects.

Target audience: Health-system and community pharmacists

Type of activity: Application
Release date: June 7, 2024
Expiration date: August 2, 2025

Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours

Learner level: Foundational, Intermediate
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain bipolar disorder with mixed features and comorbid anxious distress, including its clinical burden, diagnostic criteria, and impact on patient outcomes
• Analyze current treatment guidelines and emerging therapies for bipolar disorder with mixed features, evaluating their efficacy and safety
• Identify challenges and unmet needs in the management of bipolar disorder with mixed features and strategies to address these issues through interdisciplinary collaboration and patient-centered care

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 2.0 contact hours (0.20 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-24-144-H01-P. The activity is available for CE credit through August 2, 2025.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, review the activity in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Faculty

Megan Maroney, PharmD, BCPP, has the following relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:

Advisory Boards: Biogen and Sage Therapeutics; Boehringer Ingelheim

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Maryjo Dixon, RPh, MBA; Dipti Desai, PharmD, MBA, CHCP; Kylie Ferrentino; Susan Pordon; Brianna Winters; Chloe Taccetta; and Rebecca Green have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose. 

Anonymous peer reviewers were used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewers have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer
CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

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[email protected]
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