Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with double blinding, which compared carbamazepine with lithium and allowed statistical treatment, were included.
Specific interventions included in the review
Lithium and carbamazepine.
Participants included in the review
Patients with bipolar disorders on American Psychiatric Association DSM-III criteria. Some primary studies also included patients with schizoaffective, schizophreniform and unipolar disorders.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The length of time in remission and the failure rate (relapse or recurrence) were assessed.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.