Purpose of review Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness associated with significant functional impairment and health care costs. Despite the existence of clinical guidelines, outcomes for this disease remain sub-optimal. We reviewed the relevant literature concerning current efforts to improve the quality of care for bipolar disorder, highlighting advances in quality measures, practice guidelines, care improvement strategies, and other emerging trends in this field. We evaluated the recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Recent findings Several emerging areas of research were evident from this recent literature review, encompassing issues including detection and diagnosis (e.g. bipolar II, use of secondary data), estimating costs and burden of bipolar disorder (including lost work productivity), treatment guideline updates, the need to develop strategies for implementing guidelines, and measuring quality. Summary Additional evidence is needed to clarify the criteria for diagnosing bipolar II disorder. More research is needed to clarify guidelines regarding the treatment of specific episodes, notably bipolar depression, and to compare the different guidelines. Given the adverse impact of bipolar disorder on lost work productivity, guidelines should also cover important follow-up care as well as recommend best practices in social services (e.g. vocational training). Finally, system-level interventions that promote continuity of care, provider decision support, and quality measurement are needed to implement practice guidelines and subsequently improve care.