Daily Archives: April 28, 2016

Mental Health by the Numbers: Prevalence of Mental Illness Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.7 million, or 18.6%—experiences mental illness in a given year.1 Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—13.6 million, or 4.1%—experiences a serious mental … Continue reading →

Bipolar disorder is a clinically challenging condition. In addition to the multiple mood states that patients can experience, the illness is frequently associated with multiple comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions. Bipolar disorder can best be understood as a family of … Continue reading →

Quite reasonably, patients with bipolar disorder want treatment that provides sustained relief from their illness without incurring serious side-effects. Functionally, this translates to the resumption of purpose and enjoyment. But of the numerous drugs available for the management of bipolar … Continue reading →

Emil Kraepelin’s demarcation between dementia praecox and manic depressive illness defined affective disorder as a remitting and recurring disease. He considered that only long-term outcome was useful in assessing accuracy of diagnosis and treatment response in patients.1 The more recent interest … Continue reading →

Limitation of access to lethal methods used for suicide—so-called means restriction—is an important population strategy for suicide prevention. Many empirical studies have shown that such means restriction is effective. Although some individuals might seek other methods, many do not; when … Continue reading →

Astute readers of obituaries know that “died unexpectedly” is a common euphemism for “died by suicide”. The family and friends of suicide victims are often reluctant to openly discuss the cause of death because of profound sadness, sense of privacy, … Continue reading →

One hypothesis about bipolar disorder treatment is that antidepressants may be safer and more effective in patients with type II bipolar disorder than in those with type I bipolar disorder. These authors studied 21 patients with type I bipolar disorder and … Continue reading →

The Tip sheet below lists factors that may help identify uni polar depression. TIPSHEET: FACTORS THAT SUGGEST BIPOLAR DEPRESSION RATHER THAN UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION ■ Prepubertal onset of symptoms ■ Brief duration of depressed episodes ■ High frequency of depressed episodes ■ Seasonal pattern ■ Postpartum … Continue reading →

Bipolar disorder causes havoc in patients’ lives. Even in the best of circumstances, successful treatment is challenging. Treatment targets constantly shift; patients are frequently nonadherent; and comorbidity is the rule, not the exception. Diagnosis of bipolar disorder is often difficult. … Continue reading →