In order to improve the clinical cure rate, minimise disability and suicide rates, improve patients’ quality of life, restore social functioning and prevent relapse, the whole course of treatment should be adhered to even after treatment is in remission.
The whole course of treatment is divided into acute treatment, consolidation treatment and maintenance treatment, generally the acute treatment is 8-12 weeks, the consolidation treatment is 4-9 months, the maintenance treatment is generally inclined to 2-3 years, and long-term maintenance treatment is recommended for multiple relapses.
After the maintenance treatment is completed, the medication should be gradually reduced and discontinued according to the condition. Before discontinuing the medication, you need to communicate with your doctor and work out a plan to reduce and discontinue the medication together, and it is best to stop reducing the medication if you experience mood swings during the reduction process. It should not be stopped all of a sudden, but should be reduced gradually under the guidance of a physician.