Bipolar Disorder

Assessment of suicidal risk in adolescents is a solemn professional obligation that involves obtaining as much information as possible from family members or caregivers. Evaluation of mood disorders is an essential part of the assessment.

The evidence is clear: bipolar disorder is frequently both underdiagnosed and overdiagnosed.

Hear the latest insights about a popular sweetener that has been linked to mania.

Current estimates are that 4% to 5% of the population is at risk for a disorder on the bipolar spectrum. Among the patients of that spectrum are those with a disturbance of temperament in the direction of hypomania.

Ask a patient with depression how long it takes for them to feel fully awake in the morning and you are liable to get some revealing answers.

Call for better first-episode mania care, brain activation patterns predict risk, what’s important about atypical antipsychotics- find concise summaries of these and other key developments here.

Treatment failure risk is high, new biomarker of conversion from major depressive disorder, depression stifles creativity, and other recent findings are summarized here.

Utilizing our senses-sight, hearing, AND smell-during the patient interview can provide a comprehensive exam and assist in assessment and treatment.

Results of a recent study have implications for adolescents, who are the top consumers of this artificial sweetener.

Lithium’s most serious risk is renal insufficiency, and there are at least 3 ways to protect against this adverse effect. This and other tips to ensure safety.

The novel combination drug is designed to mitigate the weight gain associated with olanzapine.

In this podcast, Chris Aiken, MD reviews ways to reduce risks that can be associated with treatment for bipolar disorder.

This new FDA order now allows patients who need and want ECT, as well as practitioners who perform it, to breathe a sigh of relief.

Atypical antipsychotics play an important role in acute bipolar depression and mixed states, but one is an especially researched option for children.

Pediatric pearls with a focus on depression.

Behind the controversy is some common ground, buried deep in the DSM. New insights and podcast here.

New genes linked with bipolar disorder, predominant polarity guides diagnosis and treatment, affective temperaments explain life events, and other developments here.

Experts are divided on the issue, but there’s one thing nearly all agree on.

Podcast: Treatment strategies on a long-debated issue, 18 experts reveal what they really do in practice.

Recent study results offer some good news and some bad. A concise summary of key findings here.

Substance use disorders are a common comorbidity in individuals with bipolar disorder. Adding cariprazine to their medication regimen may improve symptoms of both disorders.

Are mood stabilizers causing strokes? Can we treat bipolar II without medication? The past year brought answers to these questions and more.

Some thoughts on the pathogenesis and persistence of prevalence of schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder in view of current discoveries.

Whatever the etiology, some extreme views come very close to the behaviors of bipolar mania, as illustrated in a recent documentary.