Patients with bipolar disorder may be eligible for a new clinical research study comparing two medications – quetiapine (Seroquel), a widely prescribed second-generation antipsychotic mood-stabilizing medication, and lithium, the gold-standard mood stabilizer. The research is funded by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ).
A new study by motor control and psychology researchers at Indiana University suggests that postural control problems may be a core feature of bipolar disorder, not just a random symptom, and can provide insights both into areas of the brain affected by the psychiatric disorder and new potential targets for treatment. The study, “Postural control in bipolar disorder: Increased sway area and decreased dynamical complexity,” is published in the Public Library of Science ONE. Check the end of this report for a link to download this open access study.
In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a randomized controlled trial indicates that group therapy may affect the course of bipolar disorder. This study evaluated the effectiveness of adjunctive cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) to prevent recurrence of episodes in 50 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, types I and II. Patients were followed up for at least 12 months in an outpatient service.
Children whose mother or father is affected by bipolar disorder may need to keep their stress levels in check. A new international study, led by Concordia University, suggests the stress hormone cortisol is a key player in the mood disorder. The findings published in Psychological Medicine, are the first to show that cortisol is elevated more readily in these children in response to the stressors of normal everyday life.
A study published in Psychological Assessment journal finds that the future mood swings of people with bipolar disorder can be predicted by their current thoughts and behavior. Psychologists from the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster say their findings are important because they mean talking therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), could prove effective treatments for the condition.
According to the study, 50% of patients suffering from bipolar disorder suffers some type of work, social, and family disability, and approximately 20% present some disorder at the three levels. This was the conclusion drawn in a cientific article recently published in the prestigious journal Psychiatry Research, prepared by Dr. Luis Gutiérrez Rojas, a member of the Research Group of Psychiatry Research and Neuroscience of the University of Granada coordinated by professor Manuel Gurpegui Fernández de Legaria.
The severity and impact of bipolar disorder and bipolar-like symptoms are similar across international boundaries, according to a study partially funded by NIMH. The results were published in the March 2011 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that affects approximately one in every 100 adults. For those affected, severe mood disturbances – either highly elevated or strongly depressed – can make normal functioning extremely difficult. Welcome Trust recently released a video interview with a lead researcher, Professor Craddock, who investigates the genetics of bipolar disorder and with one of his actual participants with bipolar disorder, nicknamed “Twink.” This Welcome Trust video is included in this report.
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