The need for prospective longitudinal cohort studies on the clinical staging models in bipolar disorder - a commentary to the study by van der Markt et al, 2018.

Clinical staging models have not been widely implemented in psychiatry and specifically not in bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, the clinical presentation, effect of treatment and underlying biology may change during the long-term course of bipolar disorder. Thus, it is imperative to describe and understand these changes during the longitudinal course of illness. The study by van der Markt et al is the first attempt to assess the clinical applicability of a staging model within bipolar disorder. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.