Polarised views about bipolar disorder(s): A critique of the 2020 College guidelines for mood disorders

The 2020 College guidelines for mood disorders banish bipolar II disorder - despite its formal status in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and International Classification of Diseases manuals for more than two decades - and argue that there is no need to partition bipolar disorder into separate sub-types. Their single-entity model is seemingly based on opinion rather than any support from referenced scientific studies. The author challenges the Committee's model of there being only one bipolar disorder and argues that it presents several clinical management risks, particularly of 'over-treatment'.

Automated summary

The 2020 College guidelines exclude bipolar II disorder and argue against partitioning bipolar disorder into separate sub-types, but the author challenges this single-entity model and suggests potential risks in clinical management.