Bipolar Disorder

A 10-year study of over a thousand patients finds that nitrate-cured meats may play a causative role in mania. Hot dogs and bacon may be next.

Dr Phelps puts thyroid dysfunction into clinical context for patients with comorbid mood disorders.

Symptoms of alcohol and drug intoxication and withdrawal may resemble symptoms of bipolar disorder, making it difficult to diagnose and treat.

Old data have recently been gathered and systematically presented-reinforced by a new study, but perhaps contradicted by another. So it’s time to revisit this story.

Hypomania looks very different when it’s mixed with depression.

The biological clock is set by daily cycles of light and darkness, and regulation of these cycles is a promising avenue of prevention in bipolar disorder. That is exactly what we’re not doing.

Two FDA-approved medications are making a dent in treating bipolar disorder in youths, a serious illness that adversely affects young patients, as well as their family and peers.

Which medical condition-characterized by the rapid onset of delirium, mania, and psychosis-is linked with bipolar disorder? Take the 5-question quiz and learn more.

Since the choice of treatments for a primary bipolar I disorder major depressive episode versus a unipolar major depressive episode are significantly different, this information will help guide clinicians in how to proceed.

Download this educational supplement to review the challenges of managing bipolar disorder.

Hypomania is critical to rule out, but hard to pin down. In part 1 of this 2-part series, Dr. Aiken shares his top pearls for making the diagnosis.

Clinical features that guide the selection.

The author shines a light on a preventative treatment for both children and adults.

The first clinical trial of probiotics in bipolar disorder is out, and the results look promising.

A rare but serious reaction to this treatment can have immunological consequences. As with all medications, however, the latest alert does not change how psychiatrists manage the risks.

In children who have a first-degree relative with bipolar disorder, the severity of symptoms predicts whether they will transition to the illness.

Regardless of the symptoms that a child presents with, careful monitoring for hypomania is needed if the problems are significant and the parent has bipolar disorder.

DSM focuses on the difference between Bipolar I and II. But there’s another way to categorize the illness that may have more relevance to treatment.

What are the guidelines for working with patients who do not respond to FDA-approved medications for bipolar disorder?

How many people who take an antidepressant truly have severe difficulties when they try to taper off? Or, is it “all in their mind”?

This report includes a study on patterns of prodromal psychiatric symptoms that may help identify young persons at increased risk of bipolar disorder; sibling bullying and risk of psychotic disorders; and a new smartphone app that tracks moods and predicts bipolar disorder episodes.

High levels of vitamin D-binding protein may hold promise for use as a diagnostic biomarker of pediatric BD.

When the treatment doesn’t work, consider the options. Or, question your diagnosis.

Test your knowledge on strategies to reduce and prevent restraints and seclusions among children and adolescents in psychiatric settings.

An environmental approach to mania makes it possible to “slow down the sun” and modulate the destabilizing effects of spring sunlight. More in this report.