The frontier between residual and subsyndromal symptoms in bipolar disorder: revisiting concepts and discussing clinical relevance

摘要

Since bipolar disorder (BD) was first described, clinicians and researchers have been trying to help patients to overcome it and lead fulfilling lives. However, satisfactory clinical control is still rarely achieved: most individuals with BD require maintenance treatment to prevent new episodes and restore quality of life.1 Although it has been observed that BD patients undergo different phases according to treatment response, the literature describes them with inconsistent terminology, and we would like to reflect on the effects of this confusion.