How to Stay Updated on New Developments in Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Staying current in bipolar disorder management can feel like a moving target. In this interview, from the 2024 Psych Congress NP Institute, meeting Co-Chair Julie Carbray, PhD, PMHNP-BC, APRN, shares practical strategies for staying up to date on evolving treatment options—from pharmacologic advances to psychotherapeutic approaches—and emphasizes the power of mentorship and professional networks. Clinicians will gain insights on evidence-based learning, peer collaboration, and holistic care strategies to help patients achieve meaningful, sustained wellness.

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Key Takeaways for Clinical Practice

• Bipolar disorder treatment is rapidly evolving with new psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic data, requiring clinicians to stay updated through sources like Psych Congress Network and relevant journals or listservs.
• Mentorship plays a key role in helping clinicians critically evaluate new studies, apply emerging treatments to patient cases, and integrate evidence-based innovations into practice.
• Collaboration and peer resources, including organizations such as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, support holistic, functional care and lifelong learning for clinicians managing bipolar illness.

Read the Transcript

Julie Carbray, PhD, PMHNP-BC, APRN: Hi, I'm Julie Carbray. I'm a clinical professor of psychiatry and nursing at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and College of Nursing, and I'm a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Psych Congress NP Institute: How can clinicians stay updated with the latest evidence-based approaches in bipolar disorder management, considering the evolving nature of treatment options and patient needs? Is there a role that mentor/mentee-ship can play here?

Dr Carbray: The field of treatments for persons with bipolar disorder is rapidly shifting. It's very exciting. There are more data points coming out, informing us as clinicians about options that we have, both from a psychopharmacologic standpoint and from psychotherapies. So, it's important that you stay abreast of some of the new data coming out that really helps us to help our patients have those meaningful, functional lives that we all hope to help them to achieve. It's important that you stay tuned to networks like the Psych Congress Network that will keep you abreast of new studies that are coming out. If you belong to a professional organization, assuring that you get up-to-date articles that come out on bipolar disorder and certainly belonging to listservs that address this population will help you stay abreast of the latest technologies coming out.

Then, you might want to find a mentor, too, somebody who you trust and value that can help discuss new treatments with you, help to imagine patient cases that might respond to different approaches that are newer and emerging, and help you to think critically about new studies that come out and whether or not that might be something relevant to your patient today or later on down the pike. So, collecting a respected mentor, colleague, and having resources at your fingertips, even including peer-type resources like the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance will help you to stay connected to what's important in the overall comprehensive treatment and care for your patients with bipolar illness.

Thank you for this discussion today on bipolar disorder and how we might help our patients with an overall wellness plan and approaching holistic treatment to better the lives of persons we care for. Stay tuned for more information on bipolar disorder and information that will help us as clinicians to provide best care for our patients.

Julie Carbray, PhD, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, holds her PhD (93) and Master of Science (88) degrees from Rush University, Chicago and her Bachelor of Science (87) degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. A Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Nursing at the University of Illinois Chicago, she has been practicing as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner over 35 years. As the Director of the Pediatric Mood Disorder Clinic, Dr. Carbray leads the clinical program and multidisciplinary training and is a nationally recognized clinical expert in children and adolescents with mood disorders. Dr. Carbray holds a national reputation of excellence in serving families of children with mood disorders, and was recognized with the UIC Preceptor of the year award, the Karen Gousman Excellence in Nursing Award, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Best Practices in an Outpatient Program for Bipolar Disorder Award, the UIC Inspire Award, the APNA Distinguished Service Award and the Susan McCabe psychopharmacology lectureship from the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses. 

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