Bipolar Disorder

Slideshows

Evidence suggests that co-occurrence with ADHD is a marker of preadolescent-onset mania. This slideshow provides some evidence for you to decide whether this form of very early-onset mania represents a developmental subtype of the disorder.

Co-Occurring Mania and ADHD in Youths

Articles

Most persons who use CAM modalities to self-treat a mental health problem take prescription antidepressants concurrently. Combined use can result in serious supplement-drug interactions.

Natural Products Used to Treat Depressed Mood as Monotherapies and Adjuvants to Antidepressants

"Psychiatric diagnosis is certainly imperfect -- but so is much of diagnosis throughout medicine. And whatever the current limitations, psychiatric diagnosis is useful and essential. There are no 'paradigm shifts possible til we learn a lot more. To imply otherwise is misleading and confusing to patients."

The Role of Biological Tests in Psychiatric Diagnosis

A clinician’s notes and clinical records should document and defend treatment decisions, and are the best defense in court. Here: 3 key things every patient record should include.

Will Your Clinical Records Support You in Court?

With DSM-5, one more examination of bipolar diagnosis is warranted. After all, if a diagnosis is inaccurate, treatment efforts, however well-intentioned, may misfire.

DSM-5 Won’t Solve the Overdiagnosis Problem-But Clinicians Can

Lamotrigine is an important option in bipolar disorders. However, many clinicians also use it in patients with a (unipolar) depressive disorder who have not responded adequately to conventional antidepressants.

Lamotrigine for Major Depressive Disorder Is Inappropriate

In line with adolescents' interest in interactive video games, a computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention that is an interactive fantasy game for depressed adolescents has been developed.

Update on Adolescent Mood Disorders

Dr Pies is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Lecturer on Bioethics and Humanities, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine; and Editor in Chief Emeritus of 

 (2007-2010). Dr Pies is the author of several books. A collection of his works can be found on

The issue of context and its relationship to disorderness extends well beyond panic attacks: it arises in nearly all psychiatric diagnoses not explicitly defined contextually.

Context Does Not Determine “Disorderness” or Normality

Treating bipolar disorder in women has unique concerns. For example, contraceptive use can decrease the level of mood stabilizers and alter their effectiveness.

Treatment Issues for Bipolar Disorder in Women

Podcasts

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.

Mania

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