Real-world clinical features of and antidepressant prescribing patterns for outpatients with bipolar disorder.

Approximately 40% of patients in Japan with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder have received antidepressants. Antidepressants were most often prescribed in combination with mood stabilizers, antipsychotics or both. Patients who were prescribed antidepressants received fewer mood stabilizers, more anxiolytics, and more hypnotics than those who did not receive antidepressant prescriptions.