bipolar disorders are common, recurrent mental health conditions of variable severity that are difficult to diagnose. affected individuals have higher rates of other mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and comorbid chronic medical illnesses. new diagnostic criteria and specifiers with attention on mixed features and anxious distress aid the physician in recognizing episode severity and prognosis. physicians should consider bipolar disorder in any patient presenting with depression. pharmacotherapy with mood stabilizers, such as lithium, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotics, is a first-line treatment that should be continued indefinitely because of the risk of patient relapse. active lifestyle approaches include good nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene, and proper weight management. monotherapy with antidepressants is contraindicated during episodes with mixed features, manic episodes, and in bipolar i disorder. ongoing management involves monitoring for suicidal ideation, substance use disorders, treatment adherence, and recognizing medical complications of pharmacotherapy. psychotherapy is a useful adjunct to pharmacotherapy. patients and their support systems should be educated about the chronic nature of this illness, possible relapse, suicidality, environmental triggers (e.g., seasonal light changes, shift work, other circadian disruption), and the effectiveness of early intervention to reduce complications.
baylor college of medicine received nearly $10 million in funding from the nih brain initiative to study effective treatments for the depressive phase...
dr. andrew nierenberg is an international expert on bipolar disorder and the director of the dauten family center for bipolar treatment innovation at massachusetts general hospital.
what is new in research on bipolar disorder?
a multidisciplinary team of researchers based at yale will launch a series of studies aimed at accelerating understanding of bipolar disorder and generating new
what is new in research on bipolar disorder?
background when assessing the value of an intervention in bipolar disorder, researchers and clinicians often focus on metrics that quantify improvements to core diagnostic symptoms (e.g., mania). providers often overlook or misunderstand the impact of treatment on life quality and function. we wanted to better characterize the shared experiences and obstacles of bipolar disorder within the united states from the patient’s perspective. methods we recruited 24 individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and six caretakers supporting someone with the condition. participants were involved in treatment or support services for bipolar disorder in central texas. as part of this qualitative study, participants discussed their everyday successes and obstacles related to living with bipolar disorder during personalized, open-ended interviews. audio files were transcribed, and nvivo software processed an initial thematic analysis. we then categorized themes into bipolar disorder-related obstacles that limit the patient’s capability (i.e., function), comfort (i.e., relief from suffering) and calm (i.e., life disruption) (liu et al., febclin orthop 475:315–317, 2017; teisberg et al., mayacad med 95:682–685, 2020). we then discuss themes and suggest practical strategies that might improve the value of care for patients and their families. results issues regarding capability included the struggle to maintain identity, disruptions to meaningful employment, relationship loss and the unpredictable nature of bipolar disorder. comfort related themes included the personal perception of diagnosis, social stigma and medication issues. calm themes included managing dismissive doctors, finding the right psychotherapist and navigating financial burdens. conclusions qualitative data from patients with bipolar disorder helps identify gaps in care or practical limitations to treatment. when we listen to these individuals, it is clear that treatments must also address the unmet psychosocial impacts of the condition to improve patient care, capability and calm.
background and objectives for the systematic review bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness.
many people think that participating in a research study means they will get better treatment for their condition. while this may be true, it’s important to remember that a research … continued
this literature review focuses on randomized controlled trials of psychotherapy for bipolar disorder. evidence-based psychotherapies are shown to play an important role in the development of skills needed to manage the persistent and lifelong consequences of bipolar disorder.
objective: pharmacological options for treating bipolar disorder have increased over the past 20 years, with several second-generation antipsychotics receiving regulatory approval in the 1990s. the authors describe trends in use of pharmacological agents in the outpatient management of bipolar disorder. methods: using nationally representative data from the 1997–2016 national ambulatory medical care surveys, the authors examined trends in the use of mood stabilizers, first- and second-generation antipsychotics, and antidepressants among psychiatrist visits for which bipolar disorder was listed among the primary diagnoses. a logistic regression model was used to identify statistically significant trends, with covariates including age, gender, race/ethnicity, and primary insurance. results: antipsychotics were increasingly more commonly prescribed, increasing from 12.4% of outpatient visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997–2000 period to 51.4% in the 2013–2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=5.05, 95% ci=3.65–7.01). use of mood stabilizers decreased from 62.3% of visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997–2000 period to 26.4% in the 2013–2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=0.18, 95% ci=0.13–0.27). prescription of antidepressants occurred in 47.0% of visits for bipolar disorder in the 1997–2000 period and 57.5% in the 2013–2016 period. prescription of an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer increased substantially, from 17.9% in the 1997–2000 period to 40.9% in the 2013–2016 period (adjusted odds ratio=2.88, 95% ci=2.06–4.03). conclusions: substantial changes have occurred in the treatment of bipolar disorder over the past 20 years, with second-generation antipsychotics in large measure supplanting traditional mood stabilizers. antidepressant prescriptions persisted despite a lack of evidence for their efficacy in bipolar disorder and concerns about increasing the risk of mania. research is needed to compare the real-world effectiveness and tolerability of newer antipsychotics with those of traditional mood stabilizers.
bipolar disorder treatment continues to improve. here are the latest findings.
this mental health condition causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs, called mania, and lows, known as depression.
explore innovative treatments for bipolar disorder mood swings and energy shifts. discover new hope for managing this challenging condition.
who fact sheet on bipolar disorder, including key facts, symptoms and patterns, risks and protective factors, treatment and care, and who response.
learn about the latest bipolar disorder research at mount sinai. our team of researchers is dedicated to translating findings into clinical care.
bipolar disorder news. read the latest medical research on causes, symptoms and new treatments for bipolar disorder.
learn how bipolar disorder treatment, including medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes, can help you manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.
living with bipolar disorder comes with various challenges for both you and your loved ones. these organizations and websites offer information and support.
find out about bipolar disorder, including symptoms, how it's diagnosed and treatments.
other mental illness diagnoses, taking psychotropic medication (prescribed to treat those illnesses, and specific health service use patterns are strong indicators of bipolar disorder, show researchers from the university of manchester and keele university. the findings – published in the british journal of general practice – will enable do...
current pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorder are inadequate and based on serendipitously discovered drugs often with limited efficacy, burdensome side-effects, and unclear mechanisms of action. advances in drug development for the treatment of bipolar disorder remain incremental and have come largely from repurposing drugs used for other psychiatric conditions, a strategy that has failed to find truly revolutionary therapies, as it does not target the mood instability that characterises the condition. the lack of therapeutic innovation in the bipolar disorder field is largely due to a poor understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms and the consequent absence of validated drug targets. a compelling new treatment target is the ca2+-calmodulin dependent protein kinase kinase-2 (camkk2) enzyme. camkk2 is highly enriched in brain neurons and regulates energy metabolism and neuronal processes that underpin higher order functions such as long-term memory, mood, and other affective functions. loss-of-function polymorphisms and a rare missense mutation in human camkk2 are associated with bipolar disorder, and genetic deletion of camkk2 in mice causes bipolar-like behaviours similar to those in patients. furthermore, these behaviours are ameliorated by lithium, which increases camkk2 activity. in this review, we discuss multiple convergent lines of evidence that support targeting of camkk2 as a new treatment strategy for bipolar disorder.
faculty members david bond, md, phd; and piper meyer-kalos, phd, lp; are basing the blueprint on an existing model, hoping to fill current diagnosis/treatment gaps.
introduction bipolar disorder is a chronic and complex disorder that can be difficult to treat. the objective of this retrospective study was to describe treatment patterns among patients with bipolar disorder. methods adults newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder from 2016 to 2018 were identified using the ibm® marketscan® commercial claims database. patients were enrolled for at least 12 months prior to and 6 months after initial diagnosis. lines of therapy (lots) were continuous treatment periods based on filled prescriptions; medications, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and off-label prescriptions, were recorded. all data were analyzed descriptively. results a total of 40,345 patients met criteria. the most common initial episode types were bipolar ii (38.1%), and bipolar i depression (29.8%), mania (12.8%), and mixed features (12.0%). among all episode types, approximately 90% of patients received treatment (lot1) and approximately 80% of these patients received at least one additional lot. across all episode types, the most common medication classes in lot1 (n = 36,587) were mood stabilizers (43.8%), antidepressants (42.3%; 12.9% as monotherapy), atypical antipsychotics (31.7%), and benzodiazepines (20.7%); with subsequent lots, antidepressant (51.4–53.8%) and benzodiazepine (26.9–27.4%) usage increased. also in lot1, there were 2067 different regimens. treatment patterns were generally similar across episode type. conclusions antidepressants and benzodiazepines were frequently prescribed to treat bipolar disorder despite guidelines recommending against use as frontline therapy. these results highlight the considerable heterogeneity in care and suggest that many clinicians treating bipolar disorder are not using evidence-based prescribing practices.
patients from across the country will be recruited to take part in a major trial examining a new treatment for bipolar disorder.
1- atypical antipsychotics for continuation and maintenance treatment after an acute manic episode team serge beaulieu, md, phd, mario roy, md, abdallah dallal, md, mario roy, md, joseph thavundayil, md, ... read more
new research from the universities of keele and manchester has found that psychiatric diagnoses, psychotropic prescriptions, and health service use patterns are strong indicators of bipolar disorder.
bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings, including episodes of mania and depression. these mood swings can affect a person
nyu langone mental health specialists offer expert treatment for bipolar disorder. learn more.
the brain & behavior research foundation has awarded more than $39 million to bipolar disorder research since 1987.
bipolar disorder is a medical condition characterized by extreme mood swings that affect how people think, behave and function.
this mental health condition causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs, called mania, and lows, known as depression.
bipolar disorder is a chronic mood disorder that causes intense shifts in mood, energy levels and behavior. manic episodes are the main sign of the co
how psychologists’ understanding of bipolar disorder has changed over the past 3 decades and how those changes have led to earlier and more accurate diagnosis and increasingly personalized treatments.
background bipolar disorder is a common psychiatric disorder with a massive psychological and social burden. research indicates that treatment adherence is not good in these patients. the families’ knowledge about the disorder is fundamental for managing their patients’ disorder. the purpose of the present study was to investigate the knowledge of the family members of a sample of iranian patients with bipolar i disorder (bd-i) and to explore the potential reasons for treatment non-adherence. methods this study was conducted by qualitative content analysis. in-depth interviews were held and open-coding inductive analysis was performed. a thematic content analysis was used for the qualitative data analysis. results the viewpoints of the family members of the patients were categorized in five themes, including knowledge about the disorder, information about the medications, information about the treatment and the respective role of the family, reasons for pharmacological treatment non-adherence, and strategies applied by families to enhance treatment adherence in the patients. the research findings showed that the family members did not have enough information about the nature of bd-i, which they attributed to their lack of training on the disorder. the families did not know what caused the recurrence of the disorder and did not have sufficient knowledge about its prescribed medications and treatments. also, most families did not know about the etiology of the disorder. conclusion the lack of knowledge among the family members of patients with bd-i can have a significant impact on relapse and treatment non-adherence. these issues need to be further emphasized in the training of patients’ families. the present findings can be used to re-design the guidelines and protocols in a way to improve treatment adherence and avoid the relapse of bd-i symptoms.
new research is helping practitioners better understand the symptoms of pediatric bipolar disorder.
new treatments for bipolar disorder are on the horizon. here’s a look at some of the latest advances, as well as experimental therapies.
learn about bipolar disorder, including types, symptoms, and treatment options