Category: Science

Is The Immune System Causing Depression?

January 6, 2015

‘What if it [depression] was a physical illness that just happens to make people feel pretty lousy? Would that make it less of a big deal to admit to? Could it even put a final nail in the coffin of the idea that depression is all in the mind’? Such is the question posed by … More Is The Immune System Causing Depression?

The Shocking Truth: Severe Mental Illness & Life Expectancy

January 4, 2015

Allen Francis, Emeritus Professor at Duke University has just published an excellent blog entitled ‘Having a Severe Mental Illness Means Dying Young’ in the Huffington Post. Prof. Francis, who rather refreshingly pulls no punches throughout his article, writes this as his opening paragraph: People diagnosed with serious mental illness — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe … More The Shocking Truth: Severe Mental Illness & Life Expectancy

The Search For Genes Linked to Bipolar Disorder Gathers Pace

September 2, 2014

Scientists working at the University of Bonn, the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and the University of Basel have published research that has uncovered new gene areas linked to bipolar disorder. Reported in the Elements (Behavioral Health) website (http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/), the findings provide an important avenue for further research aimed at understanding this enigmatic … More The Search For Genes Linked to Bipolar Disorder Gathers Pace

Choice & Medication: A Useful Resource

August 9, 2014

Navigating the often complex road to recovery that takes in medication choices along the way is not a simple task.  There is much to consider, not least overall efficacy and the potential for side-effects. The Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland has recently launched a very useful website – ‘Choice and medication: information … More Choice & Medication: A Useful Resource

Twin Studies Shed Light On Bipolar Disorder

May 24, 2014

The Bipolar Network News site (www.bipolarnews.org) has recently reported on an important study carried out on twins and one reason behind their differential susceptibility to developing bipolar disorder.  The article, entitled: ‘Twin Study Helps Clarify Epigenetic Component to Bipolar Disorder’ reports on some very interesting findings. The Bipolar Network News site reported that, at the … More Twin Studies Shed Light On Bipolar Disorder

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: An Effective Approach?

April 19, 2014

A relatively recent paper entitled: ‘A randomized, controlled, pilot study of dialectical behavior therapy skills in a psychoeducational group for individuals with bipolar disorder’ has examined the efficacy of DBT as a means of reducing the myriad negative symptoms of this serious mood disorder.  According to the study authors – S Van Dijk S, J Jeffrey … More Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: An Effective Approach?

Investigating Sleep Disturbance and Bipolar Disorder

February 9, 2014

According to Joanna Lyford, Senior medwireNews Reporter, a recent study by Pierre Geoffroy of Hôpital Albert Chenevier and co-workers has shed light on the role of sleep disturbance and bipolar disorder. Lyford writes: ‘both objective and subjective features of sleep differ between people with bipolar disorder who are currently euthymic and healthy controls, a case–control … More Investigating Sleep Disturbance and Bipolar Disorder