Articles related to BIPOLAR DISORDER

Dig into the essence of diagnosing and managing bipolar depression to enrich your practice and improve patient well-being. Bipolar depression often presents an intricate diagnostic challenge due to its symptomatology, leading to delays in accurate diagnosis and frequent misdiagnoses as unipolar depression. Consequently, patients run the risk of suboptimal treatment, highlighting the need for more effective strategies in diagnosing and managing bipolar depression. Traditional therapeutic approaches, including monotherapy and adjunctive therapies, pose certain limitations. Notably, these treatments present side-effect concerns, adherence challenges, and substantial relapse rates. For optimal management of bipolar depression, healthcare providers should remain updated on the evolving landscape of newer pharmacological agents. This educational program underscores the importance of timely and accurate diagnosis of bipolar depression, covering both bipolar 1 and 2 depression. The emphasis is placed on differentiating these forms from unipolar depression, a crucial aspect for early recognition and accurate diagnosis. In terms of management, the program introduces evidence-based strategies, comparing monotherapies to adjunctive therapies. It also encourages providers to evaluate current treatment options for their clinical impact. By doing so, practitioners can ensure the development of patient-centered, evidence-based treatment plans. The successful application of these diagnostic and management strategies is expected to reduce the […]

Poor adherence to treatment is the biggest predictor in relapse in serious mental illnesses. In this 0.5-CME credit activity, the panel discusses key contributors to the adherence challenge and strategies for improving adherence – including use of newer, better tolerated therapies. Available in video, podcast, and text.

How do you decide between different atypicals for a patient who’s never been on an atypical before? What about carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine for bipolar disorder? Gregory Mattingly, MD, provides practical guidance on these questions posed at the Psych Congress Regional meeting.

In a study of more than 22,000 patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, 24% also had obsessive-compulsive symptoms; 12% had a diagnosis of OCD. Both co-morbidities were associated with higher rates of aggressive behavior, cognitive problems, and hallucinations or delusions.

In this interview with Dr. Wendy Marsh, director of the Bipolar Disorders and Depression Specialty Clinics at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, she discusses how treatment can better address quality-of-life issues for individuals with bipolar depression.

The association between lithium use and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been unclear. This study showed that lithium over the long-term (i.e., 10 years) accelerated the decline in eGFR attributed to aging.