James Phelps, MD, Bipolar Disorder Section Editor for Psychiatric Times, is Director of the Mood Disorders Program at Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis, Ore.
On the BSDS what score range indicates that there is a moderate probability of bipolar spectrum disorder? During euthymia, bipolar patients may have chronic impulsivity that predisposes them to aggression—especially those with comorbid features of which disorder? These questions and more in this quiz.
Do patients with the personality trait alexithymia have trouble understanding the written language? What percentage of patients with dementia have at least one psychiatric comorbidity? These and more in this quiz.
It is generally held that children of parents with bipolar disorder are also at risk. The degree of risk is an important question for both clinicians and parents.Read More
Although antidepressants are advised only as second-line treatment in patients with bipolar disorder, the matter is complicated by conflicting data surrounding antidepressant use during pregnancy. Read More
The diagnosis of bipolar disorder is typically associated with significant disability and impaired functioning. This article explores the pros and cons of functional and quality-of-life measures. Read More
We've put many of the clinical scales online, hoping healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient. … Read More
The risk of diluting true bipolar disorders with a fundamentally different disorder is likewise significant, as is the impact through this dilution on our ability to identify appropriate treatments when psychiatry has more targeted options in the future.
A a recent symposium brought together some of the nation’s leading experts to talk about promising advances in psychiatry and to address areas where progress has faltered.
There are many rapidly effective treatments for mania in bipolar disorder. However, there are relatively few options for bipolar depression, and none that are rapidly effective—even though bipolar depression constitutes between 20% to 50% of all depressive disorders. Here, Dr Michael Thase discusses the first, second, and third lines of treatment for bipolar depression.
Deficient omega-3 fatty acids can result in myriad pathological changes including altering the central nervous system. Their balance or imbalance changes receptor function, prostaglandin and cytokine production. Understanding the roles of these essential fatty acids is vital to remedying the fatty... More »
Clinical observations have shown that patients who do not respond to antidepressants may show dramatic improvement if atypical antipsychotics are added to their regimen. How can successful patient outcomes be maximized? More »
Addiction-as-disease or addiction-as-choice may be better defined by delineating initial experimentation with addictive drugs from ongoing drug use. Repeated exposure to addictive substances changes the molecules and neurochemistry of the addict. Addiction-as-disease accepts the responsibility of... More »
Many patients, particularly those living in colder climates, can suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). What causes SAD and what are the treatment options for these patients? More »
College students are far less likely to kill themselves than are nonstudent peers, according to a 10-year research study examining suicide rates at 12 Midwestern campuses. More »
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders of childhood. Therapy should consist of education to reduce fears and concerns, psychotherapy to decrease triggers for seizures, and careful medication monitoring to avoid those drugs that reduce seizure threshold or have excessive... More »
Catatonia is found in at least 10% of patients admitted to acute psychiatric services, so any young patient with stupor, unexplained excitement or persistent motor signs should be formally assessed for this syndrome. From among the 20 to 40 now-identified features of catatonia, its proper diagnosis... More »
In the last third of the 20th century, psychiatry boldly shook off a 120-year-long philosophical funk and rushed to catch up in the thrilling march of medicine. The biopsychosocial model that once sounded trendy now seems to be an indispensable approach. The pioneers of psychopharmacology who once... More »
Although ADHD can be effectively treated and can lead to significant dysfunction if left untreated, negative public perceptions still abound. Proper diagnosis, exploration of comorbid disorders and collaboration with other health care professionals may be the answer to ensuring positive outcomes for... More »
After numerous hospitalizations, electroconvulsive therapy and a battery of drug trials, a college senior remained suicidal. Looking for advice on her patient, a psychiatrist brought the case to a team meeting, only to be told by a senior colleague, "You can't save them all." More »
Collaborative chronic care models (CCMs) improve outcome in chronic medical illnesses and depression treated in primary care settings. The effect of such models across other treatment settings and mental health conditions has not been comprehensively assessed. The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the comparative effectiveness of CCMs for mental health conditions across disorders and treatment settings.|Randomized controlled trials comparing CCMs with other care conditions, published or in press by August 15, 2011, were identified in a literature search and through contact with investigators. CCMs were defined a priori as interventions with at least three of the six components of the Improving Chronic Illness Care initiative (patient self-management support, clinical information systems, delivery system redesign, decision support, organizational support, and community resource linkages). Articles were included if the CCM effect on mental health symptoms
Numerous candidate gene association studies of bipolar disorder (BP) have been carried out, but the results have been inconsistent. Individual studies are typically underpowered to detect associations with genes of small effect sizes. We conducted a meta-analysis of published candidate gene studies to evaluate the cumulative evidence. We systematically searched for all published candidate gene association studies of BP. We then carried out a random-effects meta-analysis on all polymorphisms that were reported on by three or more case-control studies. The results from meta-analyses of these genes were compared with the findings from a recent mega-analysis of eleven genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in BP performed by the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium (PGC). A total of 487 articles were included in our review. Among these, 33 polymorphisms in 18 genes were reported on by three or more case-control studies and included in the random-effects meta-analysis. Polymorphisms in BDNF, DRD4,
This post-hoc analysis of pooled data from two similarly designed trials assessed the impact of aripiprazole monotherapy vs. placebo on treatment outcomes based on baseline severity of core depressive symptoms in patients with bipolar I disorder.|Patients were classified as severely depressed (Bech-6 Total score > 15) or less severely depressed (Bech-6 Total score < 15). Efficacy was assessed by mean changes in Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total and MADRS-6 subscale scores from baseline to endpoint using a mixed model repeated measures analysis.|A total of 133 patients (n = 62 on active aripiprazole) were classified as severely depressed and 612 patients (n = 309 aripiprazole) as less severely depressed. At endpoint, the mean MADRS Total score reduction for severely depressed patients receiving aripiprazole compared with placebo was -19.4 vs. -15.4 (P = 0.14), whereas MADRS-6 subscale score reduction for patients receiving aripiprazole compared with placebo was
Although early interventions in individuals with bipolar disorder may reduce the associated personal and economic burden, the neurobiologic markers of enhanced risk are unknown.|Neuroimaging studies involving individuals at enhanced genetic risk for bipolar disorder (HR) were included in a systematic review. We then performed a region of interest (ROI) analysis and a whole-brain meta-analysis combined with a formal effect-sizes meta-analysis in a subset of studies.|There were 37 studies included in our systematic review. The overall sample for the systematic review included 1258 controls and 996 HR individuals. No significant differences were detected between HR individuals and controls in the selected ROIs: striatum, amygdala, hippocampus, pituitary and frontal lobe. The HR group showed increased grey matter volume compared with patients with established bipolar disorder. The HR individuals showed increased neural response in the left superior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus and
Most individuals with mood disorders experience psychiatric and/or medical comorbidity. Available treatment guidelines for major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) have focused on treating mood disorders in the absence of comorbidity. Treating comorbid conditions in patients with mood disorders requires sufficient decision support to inform appropriate treatment.|The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) task force sought to prepare evidence- and consensus-based recommendations on treating comorbid conditions in patients with MDD and BD by conducting a systematic and qualitative review of extant data. The relative paucity of studies in this area often required a consensus-based approach to selecting and sequencing treatments.|Several principles emerge when managing comorbidity. They include, but are not limited to: establishing the diagnosis, risk assessment, establishing the appropriate setting for treatment, chronic disease management, concurrent
Episodes of bipolar disorder are defined as depressive or manic, but depressive and manic symptoms can combine in the same episode. Coexistence or rapid alternation of depressive and manic symptoms in the same episode may indicate a more severe form of bipolar disorder and may pose diagnostic and treatment challenges. However, definitions of mixed states, especially those with prominent depression, are not well established.|The authors performed literature searches for bipolar disorder, multivariate analyses, and the appearance of the terms "mixed" in any field; references selected from the articles found after the search were combined after a series of conferences among the authors.|The authors reviewed the evolution of the concept of mixed states and examined the symptom structure of mixed states studied as predominantly manic, predominantly depressive, and across both manic and depressive episodes, showing essentially parallel structures of mixed states based on manic or depressive
To describe initial clinical experience with bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for symptomatic giant hepatic haemangiomas.|Four consecutive patients with a large-volume, symptomatic hepatic cavernous haemangioma of >10 cm were treated with bipolar RFA during laparotomy with ultrasound guidance. Complications were carefully noted. Clinical and radiological effectiveness were evaluated comparing baseline with 3 and 6 months follow-up of symptom assessments and upper abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT).|RFA was successfully performed for all four giant haemangiomas. No major complications were observed. Peri-procedural shrinking was remarkable and intermediate-term volume reduction ranged from 58-92% after 6 months. Symptom relief after 6 months was complete in two patients and considerable in the other two.|Preliminary results suggest intra-operative bipolar RFA to be a safe, feasible, and effective technique for treatment of giant symptomatic
Lithium salts, once the mainstay of therapy for bipolar disorder, have tolerability issues at a higher dosage that often limit adherence. The authors investigated the comparative effectiveness of more tolerable dosages of lithium as part of optimized personalized treatment (OPT).|The authors randomly assigned 283 bipolar disorder outpatients to 6 months of open, flexible, moderate dosages of lithium plus OPT or to 6 months of OPT alone. The primary outcome measures were the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Bipolar Disorder-Severity (CGI-BP-S) and "necessary clinical adjustments" (medication adjustments per month). Secondary outcome measures included mood symptoms and functioning. The authors also assessed sustained remission (defined as a CGI-BP-S score 2 for 2 months) and treatment with second-generation antipsychotics. The authors hypothesized that lithium plus OPT would result in greater clinical improvement and fewer necessary clinical adjustments.|The authors observed no
The kinesin spindle protein (KSP), a member of the kinesin superfamily of microtubule-based motors, plays a critical role in mitosis as it mediates centrosome separation and bipolar spindle assembly and maintenance. Inhibition of KSP function leads to cell cycle arrest at mitosis with the formation of monoastral microtubule arrays, and ultimately, to cell death. Several KSP inhibitors are currently being studied in clinical trials and provide new opportunities for the development of novel anticancer therapeutics. RNA interference (RNAi) may represent a powerful strategy to interfere with key molecular pathways involved in cancer. In this study, we have established an efficient method for intratumoral delivery of siRNA. We evaluated short interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes targeting luciferase as surrogate marker or KSP sequence. To examine the potential feasibility of RNAi therapy, the siRNA was transfected into pre-established lesions by means of intratumor electro-transfer of RNA
2009, which will provide $83 million to establish national centers of excellence for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder and raise awareness for mental health and improve the standard of ... This bill will establish national centers of
Volume 46 January 2007. ERRATUM: The "Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder, "which appears in the January 2007 issue of the Journal ( J ... The correct reference is Hellander M ( 2002),
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On the BSDS what score range indicates that there is a moderate probability of bipolar spectrum disorder? During euthymia, bipolar patients may have chronic impulsivity that predisposes them to aggression—especially those with comorbid features of which disorder? These questions and more in this quiz.
Do patients with the personality trait alexithymia have trouble understanding the written language? What percentage of patients with dementia have at least one psychiatric comorbidity? These and more in this quiz.
The risk of diluting true bipolar disorders with a fundamentally different disorder is likewise significant, as is the impact through this dilution on our ability to identify appropriate treatments when psychiatry has more targeted options in the future.
Preliminary evidence shows that dialectical behavior therapy may be beneficial in treating patients with bipolar disorder.
A a recent symposium brought together some of the nation’s leading experts to talk about promising advances in psychiatry and to address areas where progress has faltered.
There are many rapidly effective treatments for mania in bipolar disorder. However, there are relatively few options for bipolar depression, and none that are rapidly effective—even though bipolar depression constitutes between 20% to 50% of all depressive disorders. Here, Dr Michael Thase discusses the first, second, and third lines of treatment for bipolar depression.
