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Mood disorders clinical practice guideline
This guideline is more than five years old and no longer considered current guidance.
Its content surpasses typical National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) review thresholds and may require expert verification, supplementation, or update.
This document remains accessible for reference use only via the link below:
- The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders [PDF 3.37MB]
For further information, read more about the RANZCP's previous clinical practice guidelines or contact policy@ranzcp.org.
Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy evidence review
The Mood Disorders Clinical Practice Guideline was produced in 2015 and an update was released in 2020.
In 2022, a steering group Chaired by Prof Bruce Singh was formed to oversee an external review of the evidence for long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for the treatment of mood disorders.
For results of this review, and other updates see the Mood Disorders Hub.
The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders[SM1]
[SM1]Watermark pdf: The 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders
Reference use only
Key practice points
The 2020 guideline builds on the previous guideline (issued in 2015) and maintains its joint focus on both depressive and bipolar disorders.
It provides up-to-date recommendations and guidance within an evidence-based framework, supplemented by expert clinical consensus.
The 2020 guideline:
- discusses the diagnosis and management of both depressive and bipolar disorders, recognising that these have increasingly been conceptualised as part of a spectrum
- illustrates step-by-step the clinical management of mood disorders
- provides guidance on the management of psychiatric comorbidities, including comorbid anxiety and comorbid substance use
- considers the clinical management of mood disorders with complex presentations and in special populations.
Additional guidance
Access further guidance related to mood disorders in the following documents developed by the College:
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- Ketamine therapy
- Medicinal cannabis
- Psychotherapy conducted by psychiatrists
Webinars, podcasts and e-learning modules
- Psych Matters podcast - New Clinical Guidelines for Mood Disorders: Management of Bipolar Disorder (26 Feb 2021)
- Psych Matters podcast - New Clinical Guidelines for Mood Disorders: Management of Major Depressive Disorder and Treatment Non-Response (14 Feb 2021)
- Innovations in the 2020 RANZCP Clinical Practice Guideline for Mood Disorders – member login required
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