Is Low Dose Lithium Effective in Bipolar Disorder?

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

Subject: Bipolar Disorder Short Description: Is Low Dose Lithium Effective in Bipolar Disorder? Background: Although it remains one of our oldest and most effective drugs, lithium has become less popular for the treatment of bipolar disorder in the last two decades. The recent LiTMUS trial compared outcomes in bipolar disorder when all subjects

Comprehensive Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

Editor’s note: Learn more about the work of the Center for Organization, Leadership, and Management Research at www.colmr.research.va.gov.

Choose the Right Mood Stabilizer to Treat Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

Finding the right medication or combination of medications for a patient with bipolar disorder is an incredibly important task, as many individuals with bipolar disorder will require life-long treatment with a mood stabilizer. Mood stabilizer treatment goals should include resolving active symptoms of mania or depression, minimizing adverse effects,

Treating Bipolar Disorder with Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

The clinical presentation of bipolar disorder can vary substantially from patient to patient. However, in all cases, there is impaired functioning in one or more area of life; for example, disruption to school, work, and/or relationships. And in most cases, the affective episodes of bipolar disorder (eg, mania or hypomania, depression, mixed states) are

Pharmacologic Treatment of Youth with Bipolar Disorder: Where to Next?

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry | Free Articles

Bipolar disorder presents unique pharmacologic challenges. Depending on the phase of illness a patient is in, the focus may be on acute manic or mixed episodes, acute depressive episodes, maintenance treatment (ie, prevention of recurrent episodes), and/or treatment of comorbidities, such as anxiety, ADHD, and substance abuse. Those treating children or

Letter from the Editors

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

The diagnosis, treatment, and very existence of pediatric bipolar disorder is one of the most contentious debates in our field. While the controversy rages on, we can most agree that our goal remains providing the most efficacious and compassionate treatment to our patients, using a combination of experience, research-driven data, and common sense. We c

How We Got Here: The Psychodynamics of Juvenile Bipolar Disorder and the Clinician

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

The studies have been done and the consensus is in. Juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD) has probably been overdiagnosed recently, and the DSM-5 will describe a narrower phenotype to qualify for the diagnosis. The 40-fold increase in the diagnosis from 1994/1995 to 2002/2003 (Moreno C et al, Arch Gen Psychiatry 2007;64(9):1032–1039) was an overreaction tha

Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD): A Skeptical, Mainstream, Non-US Perspective

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Although practicing in Australia, I have followed the PBD phenomenon in the USA for several years. PBD had become the most common diagnosis in pre-pubertal children in US psychiatric inpatient units by 2004 (Blader JC, Carlson GA, Biol Psychiatry 2007;62(2):107–114). “The epidemic of childhood bipolar disorder” (as later described by Allen Frances

Amber Light Therapy for Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

When you suffer from bipolar disorder, life may seem like it’s all about sleep. It’s no longer an apple a day, but rather a full night’s rest that keeps the doctor away. Sure, a single night of poor sleep may just leave you feeling lousy, but when one bad night succeeds another, anxiety starts to build as you wonder if this is the start of another

Severe Mood Dysregulation (SMD) and Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Parents who might be interested in having their children participate in Dr. Leibenluft’s research program can call 301-496-8381 or email irritablekids@mail.nih.gov. The group is currently conducting studies with children with SMD, children with bipolar disorder, and children who have a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder.

Brain Function and Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Treating Bipolar Disorder During Pregnancy and Lactation

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

A 32-year-old pregnant woman with bipolar disorder, well-controlled on valproic acid (Depakote), comes into your office wanting advice on medications. What do you do? For both psychiatrists and patients, this can be an extremely high anxiety scenario, with concerns about the mother’s—and now her baby’s—well-being. We know, for instance, that

A Note From the Editor

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

While bipolar disorder is something we all encounter in practice, views are mixed as to how best to diagnose and treat it. In this issue of TCPR, Drs Amos and James argue that bipolar disorder is over-diagnosed and the introduction of “soft” criteria may contribute to a worsening of this trend. On the other hand, Dr Baldassano argues that expanded c

Is Bipolar Disorder Over-Diagnosed?

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

Whether you work in a hospital or an office setting, you’ve probably seen many patients who come to you with a “history of bipolar disorder.” We’ve seen it, too, in multiple settings at an academic medical center. Is this a new epidemic? Or a redefinition of what it means to be “bipolar”? Some argue that bipolar disorder is actually under

Current Issues in Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis: The Life Course Method

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

How should we diagnose bipolar disorder? It isn’t always easy and current bipolar screening tools are problematic for a number of reasons. In my experience, the “Life Course Method” for clinical interviewing has proven to be effective. In this article, I’ll explain the reasons why and offer tips for using this tool. Current Screening Tools C

Psychosocial Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

Management of Bipolar Depression

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

The Latest on Psychotherapy

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

“Soft” Bipolar Does Not Affect Antidepressant Treatment Outcomes

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Depressive Disorder

Using Lithium in Bipolar Disorder: A Primer

Topics: Bipolar Disorder

The discovery of the therapeutic effects of lithium in 1949 counts as one of the great examples of serendipity in the history of science. John Cade, an Australian psychiatrist, used lithium purely as a solvent to stop uric acid crystals from appearing in the urine of manic patients, which he was experimentally injecting into guinea pigs. Eventually he r