NAMI Ask the Expert: Bipolar Disorder: Advancements in Research & Treatment

Course overview

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, summarizes current science and practice for bipolar I and II disorders, organized into three parts: fast facts, interventions, and gaps/hope for the future. Content includes burden and epidemiology, common comorbidities, and age of onset, followed by evidence-based pharmacologic and psychosocial treatment strategies and measurement-based, team-oriented care. The session highlights lithium's role in maintenance, anti-manic and antidepressant options, and practical monitoring considerations, with an emphasis on shared decision-making and persistence with treatment. The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents clinically applicable strategies for assessment, medication/psychotherapy coordination, and care planning that align with contemporary guidelines and real-world care models.