Bipolar Disorder

A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.

The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, but a combination of genetics, environment, and altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role.

Manic episodes may include symptoms such as high energy, reduced need for sleep, and loss of touch with reality.

Depressive episodes may include symptoms such as low energy, low motivation, and loss of interest in daily activities. Mood episodes last days to months at a time and may also be associated with suicidal thoughts.

Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications and psychotherapy.

 

Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W023
Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder
US Patients: 3% in lifetime
World Patients: W2%
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: Age 25
Brain Area: Below (ventral)pfc, less active on left for depression; on the right for mania.
Symptoms: 71% genetic +childhood abuse and stress; substance abuse; impulsive
Progression: 6% suicide, 35% self-harm;4 days down-months/7 days mania
Causes: dopamine higher in manic; lower in depressive; manic, glutamate higher in left pfc in manic
Medications: lithium, anti-psychotics-in-manic phase; mood-stabilizers; only lithium for children
Therapies: Teaching coping strategies for relapses and taking medication consistently

Please see the support materials for Bipolar I and for Bipolar II which follow.

4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED

The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis 

Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.

  • A review on the pharmacology of cariprazine and its role in the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia
    by Panneer Selvan on May 7, 2024

    Management of negative symptoms is one of the most challenging and important unmet needs of schizophrenia treatment. Negative symptoms together with positive symptoms result in significant psychosocial impairment and poor quality of life. Existing studies on atypical antipsychotics reported limited treatment adherence due to higher prevalence of treatment-emergent adverse events, such as diabetes, weight gain, hyperlipidemia, hyperprolactinemia and hypertension. A compound with greater affinity...

  • A cross ancestry genetic study of psychiatric disorders from India
    by Bharath Holla on May 7, 2024

    Genome-wide association studies across diverse populations may help validate and confirm genetic contributions to risk of disease. We estimated the extent of population stratification as well as the predictive accuracy of polygenic scores (PGS) derived from European samples to a data set from India. We analysed 2685 samples from two data sets, a population neurodevelopmental study (cVEDA) and a hospital-based sample of bipolar affective disorder (BD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)....

  • Collaborative care approaches for people with severe mental illness
    by Siobhan Reilly on May 7, 2024

    BACKGROUND: Collaborative care for severe mental illness (SMI) is a community-based intervention that promotes interdisciplinary working across primary and secondary care. Collaborative care interventions aim to improve the physical and/or mental health care of individuals with SMI. This is an update of a 2013 Cochrane review, based on new searches of the literature, which includes an additional seven studies.

  • The association of blood biomarkers with cerebral white matter and myelin content in bipolar disorder: a systematic review
    by Mohammad Ali on May 7, 2024

    CONCLUSION: This systematic review revealed that blood-based biomarkers are associated with markers of WM deficits observed in BD. Longitudinal studies investigating the potential clinical utility of these specific biomarkers are encouraged.