Treatment practice of acute mania and bipolar depression: a nation-wide questionnaire survey in Finland.

Objective To compare Finnish clinicians' treatment practices of acute mania and bipolar depression with recommendations of consensus-based guidelines, and contemporary research results. Methods A nation-wide questionnaire survey of 228 Finnish clinicians employed in psychiatric hospitals. Results Effective response rate was 62%. Clinicians' practices were fairly adequately in line with contemporary recommendations. The main concerns were over-utilization of conventional antipsychotics in acute mania and underestimating the need for mood stabilizers to prevent induction of mood instability. Conclusion Continuous educating of clinicians is warranted to narrow the gap between guideline recommendations, research evidence and clinical practices.