STEP-BD is the largest treatment study ever conducted for bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness. It is a long-term outpatient project that aims to find out which treatments, or combinations of treatments, are most effective for treating episodes of depression and mania, and for preventing recurrent episodes. The five year project will enroll approximately 5,000 volunteers with bipolar disorder into the care of specially trained clinicians. Select a link below to learn more about the STEP-BD program.

Disclaimer:   You have entered a web site that describes an NIMH-funded collaborative study on the treatment of bipolar disorder. If you are seeking immediate help for treatment of bipolar disorder, we recommend that you contact your clinician or your nearest emergency room. This web site is not set up to provide help or advice to individuals about their bipolar disorder, nor to family members or friends of individuals with bipolar disorder. If you are interested in getting general information about bipolar disorder, you can visit the following web site: www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolarmenu.cfm This web site is created solely for the purposes of providing background information about the study and having researchers provide input to the design. This web site does not provide a chat room and individual queries will not receive a response. Any message posted on this web site is not confidential.

Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder is a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and coordinated by Massachusetts General Hospital.