14th February 2025

A 33-year-old patient with bipolar disorder is taking quetiapine.

A 33-year-old patient with bipolar disorder is taking quetiapine. He tolerates this well and it helps him to sleep. It was first prescribed alongside a depressive episode alongside a 10-session course of high-intensity CBT.

He feels well but has some residual low mood and anergia at times. His GP organises some blood tests to rule out an organic cause:

Haemoglobin 124 g/L (130-180)

White Cell Count 9.9 x10⁹/L (3.6-11)

Neutrophils 6.2 x109/L (1.8-7.5)

Platelet Count 227 x10⁹/L (140-400)

TSH 2.4 mU/L² (0.4-4)

Free T4 12 pmol/L (9-24)

He wants to discuss long-term management of his bipolar affective disorder.

Which of the following is true regarding maintenance treatment of his bipolar affective disorder?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.