Bipolar Hope is a California Mutual Benefit Non Profit Corporation # C3289654. BiPolar Hope is dedicated to being a resource for the friends, families, and patients who deal with the Bipolar Condition. It is our goal to raise $1000 worth of clothing and food this month for the New Vistas Crisis Shelter for San Diego Homeless.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Bipolar Disability Affected by Prior Episodes
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 29, 2010
According to new research, bipolar patients who have had more episodes appear to have more overall disability. Those with more manic episodes have more problems with work and family, and those with more depression have more social difficulty.
“This study shows that disability affects an important proportion of bipolar disorder patients and that previous course-of-illness variables, particularly a high number of manic episodes, and current psychopathology – as indicated by the presence of nicotine dependence ordepressive symptoms – may be indicators of disability,” said Dr. Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas from the Institute of Neurosciences at the University of Granada in Spain, who led the research with his colleagues.
Bipolar disorder, also known by its older name “manic depression,” is a mental disorder that is characterized by alternating moods, “highs” (what clinicians call mania) and “lows” (also known as depression). More than 5 million Americans suffer from bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and according to the World Health Organization, it is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide.
Gutiérrez-Rojas and his colleagues reviewed the psychiatric histories of 108 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. TheSheehan Disability Scale was used to measure social and family life disability. Work disability was measured by whether or not the study participant was receiving a disability payment. Slightly more than half of the participants had some form of disability, and 37 percent had two types.
More than three previous manic episodes, current depression, nicotine dependence, and lower educational level were statistically associated with work disability.
Difficulty with social function increased with the number of hospitalizations, with multiple previous episodes of depression, in those who had lack of social support, and with current depression.
In addition, individuals with bipolar disorder who were older, who showed potential signs of alcohol abuse, who had been hospitalized more often, or who had had repeated manic episodes, had more difficulty with family life.
Previous research has shown that repeated episodes and repeated hospitalizations for bipolar disorder can worsen the course of the illness. Medication noncompliance can make symptoms more difficult to treat. These data should encourage physicians and patients to treat bipolar disorder more aggressively, as repeated episodes can also increase disability in several areas.
“Clinicians should make every effort to prevent relapses, to efficiently treat residual symptoms, and to enhance the social support of these patients,” concludes Gutiérrez-Rojas.
The study is published in the July edition of the journal Psychiatry Research.
Source: Psychiatry Research
Symptoms that Might Predict First Episode of Mania
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 1, 2010
According to new research, there may be certain signs present before development of psychotic mania, that, when present in a high risk individual, might be able to predict the development of mania.
“Before onset of a first episode of psychotic mania, patients go through a phase of change from previous mental state where they present mood symptoms, sleep disruption and general functional decline,” says Philippe Conus, from Université Lausanne in Switzerland, who conducted the research with his colleagues.
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by alternating periods of depression (low mood) and mania, or hypomania (a milder form of mania). Mania is diagnosed when three of more of the following symptoms are present; an elevated, agitated, or irritable mood, a decreased need for sleep, an increased need to talk, racing thoughts or lots of ideas, abnormally high self-esteem, difficulty focusing attention, an increased in goal-directed activity or difficulty sitting still, and reckless involvement in pleasurable activities (like sexual indiscretions, or excessive spending). Sometimes people with mania can also experiencepsychosis, a condition in which one has delusions (mistaken beliefs), hallucinations, and temporarily loses contact with reality.
To attempt to discern signs of a first episode of psychotic mania before it occurs, Conus and his colleagues enrolled 22 patients between the ages of 15 and 29 who had experienced their first episode of psychotic mania.
They reviewed each participant’s psychiatric history, and used theGeneral Behavior Inventory (GBI) and the Initial Mania Prodrome Questionnaire (IMPQ), to assess the presence of possible psychiatric symptoms in the year before the manic episode.
They found that there was a prodrome (a period of time before the episode with subtle symptoms), in more than half of the study participants, and the average duration of the prodrome was 20.9 weeks.
During the period of time before their manic episode, the participants experienced a change from their prior mental health, including symptoms such as mood changes, changes in sleep pattern, and overall decline in general function (increased stress, impaired functioning, and concentration problems).
“Early identification of patients at risk to develop a first episode of psychotic mania is unlikely to be possible in the basis of symptoms alone,” says Conus.
However, although these symptoms are not specific enough to be of use in the general population, in individuals known to be at high risk for bipolar disorder, such symptoms may be of more significance. Some people at high risk include children of parents with bipolar or other mood disorders, those who have had or witnessed a traumatic event, those with developmental delay, those with cyclothymic traits, who have had previous depressiveepisodes, and who have had recent increase in levels of substance use.
Bipolar disorder affects more than 5 million Americans, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and is the sixth leading cause of disability, according to the World Health Organization.
The average age of diagnosis of bipolar disorder is 25 years, but there is an increasing awareness of the presence of symptoms in in children. The disorder can often be difficult to diagnosis in young people. There have been a number of research studies that show that repeated episodes of mania can increase the severity of the illness, make symptoms more difficult to control, and increase disease-related disability.
Future studies involving larger populations may help to identify additional risk factors, or other prodromal symptoms. Furthermore, additional research may help to determine what, if any, interventions may prevent or ameliorate the development of manic symptoms. “Prevention strategies could be applied if this prodromal phase was better defined,” concludes Philippe Conus, from Université Lausanne in Switzerland, and colleagues.
Dr. Conus’s results can be found in the August edition of theJournal of Affective Disorders
Source: Journal of Affective Disorders
Genetic Breakthrough for Bipolar Disorder
In what amounts to a scientific breakthrough a combined team of scientists from Britain and the United States have located two genes linked to bipolar disorder. Professor Nick Craddock, of Cardiff University's school of medicine, who lead the research says, "the findings will help people to avoid saying bipolar is just the way some people are, or that they should be able to control it . . . it puts it on a parallel with other diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes."
In one of the largest research projects of its kind, genes from more than 10,000 people, including 4,300 with bipolar disorder were examined, constituting a review of around 1.8 million genetic variations. The research team then identified that people with bipolar disorder were significantly more likely to have variants of the ANK3 and CACNA1C genes. These genes help to make proteins that control the flow of calcium and sodium ions that move in and out of nerve cells.
The ANK3 gene has a role in controlling the activity of cells whereas the CACNA1C gene is responsible for channels that control calcium flow from the brain. Normal brain function relies on a delicate balance of sodium and calcium. "The brain operates according to how quickly calcium and sodium are going in and out of cells and how much of it goes in and out," Craddock said.
The study, reported in the journal of Nature Genetics, is not expected to be helpful in determining risk for the disorder. Many people have the genes but do not have bipolar disorder. What the findings do achieve is they put to rest the notion that bipolar is purely psychological in nature. The fact that the disorder can now be identified as physiological will also help to provide a focus for future research and give direction to new treatments. Although lithium is known to help, it only achieves benefits for two-thirds of people and can cause weight gain and shakiness.
In an upbeat assessment of work to date and speaking to journalist Madeline Brindley of the Western Mail, Professor Craddock stated:
"When the research team can identify bipolar as an illness, like any other caused by a genetic predisposition, the stigma and discrimination faced by people with bipolar may finally be able to become a thing consigned to the history books."
Learn, Laugh, Cry
Symphony of Bipolar
A totally original take on mental illness
Learn, Laugh, Cry
Music, dance, song, Bipolar disorder lecture
Mood through Art, mood manifested
8.27.2010 7pm
217 North coast Highway
Purchase Tickets Online or at Box Office
http://symphonyofbipolar.eventbrite.com/
email hopeisunlimited@gmail.com
Part of each ticket donation goes to a local
Bipolar support group called Bipolar Hope
Thereisbipolarhope.blogspot.com