Rehospitalization rates of patients with bipolar disorder discharged on a mood stabilizer versus a mood stabilizer plus an atypical or typical antipsychotic

One-year rehospitalization rates of patients with bipolar disorder discharged on a mood stabilizer alone, a mood stabilizer plus a typical antipsychotic, or a mood stabilizer plus an atypical antipsychotic were examined. Time to rehospitalization was measured by using the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) formula. Twenty-three percent of patients on a mood stabilizer alone, 27% of patients on a mood stabilizer plus a typical antipsychotic, and 25% of patients on a mood stabilizer plus an atypical antipsychotic were rehospitalized within 1 year of discharge. There were no significant differences in rehospitalization rate or time to rehospitalization between groups. One-year rehospitalization rates for patients on a mood stabilizer plus olanzapine or risperidone were 25%. The number of previous psychiatric hospitalizations contributed to the risk of readmission. Risk factors and medication costs should be considered when designing the optimal treatment plan for an individual patient. Long-term prospective studies are needed to better delineate the effectiveness of different pharmacotherapeutic regimens on the long-term treatment outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder.