Laboratories should provide a separate therapeutic range for serum lithium levels in maintenance treatment of older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD)

Abstract

The establishment of an Older Adults task force within the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) reflects a growing awareness that older adults require a special perspective, understanding and clinical expertise. In this issue of the journal, the ISBD task force on OABD has published the results of a Delphi survey of international experts in OABD focusing on recommendations for the safe and effective use of lithium in older adults. In the absence of systematic data on older adults and the challenge of conducting randomized clinical trials in this population, the Delphi methodology outlined in the paper proved to be the best way of providing clinicians with a roadmap for maintenance lithium use in OABD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.