Search results for ‘Subject term:"bipolar disorder"’ Sort:
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Catatonia in a woman who is profoundly deaf-mute: case report
- Authors:
- AKINTOMIDE Gbolagade, PORTER Stuart Williams, PIERCE Anita
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 36(11), November 2012, pp.418-421.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The authors suggest that catatonia is a common, but underrecognised, complication of bipolar disorder, with a quarter of in-patients with bipolar disorder developing the condition. Almost 9 million people in the UK are deaf or have a significant hearing problem and British Sign Language is the preferred language of 50 000-70 000 people within the UK. At the normal population rate, between 1 and 2% of these individuals will experience bipolar disorder in their lifetime, emphasising the importance of the accurate diagnosis of catatonia. This paper reports a case of catatonia presenting with dysphagia in a 48 year old profoundly deaf-mute woman with bipolar disorder. The report highlights some modifications of presentation and difficulties of accurate diagnosis and management of catatonia in this patient. She responded poorly to diazepam and was eventually prescribed emergency electroconvulsive therapy with some success. Arrival at a diagnosis required interdisciplinary collaboration among a wide range of professionals. This is believed to be the first case report of catatonia in someone who is profoundly deaf-mute.
Pediatric bipolar disorder: part I - is it related to classical bipolar
- Authors:
- LITTRELL Jill, LYONS Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 32(7), July 2010, pp.945-964.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
A new diagnosis for children has emerged in the last decade: paediatric bipolar disorder. Children who, in the past, would have been given other diagnoses are now being relabelled as paediatric bipolar. This paper examines whether the children being labelled with this belong to the same population as well-characterised bipolar I disorder of the past. It begins with a description of well-characterised bipolar I adults of the past, and retrospective studies examining the childhood characteristics of adults with bipolar are reviewed. The paper then examines the types of children receiving the diagnosis of paediatric bipolar and delineates how the behaviour of these children differs from the pattern of behaviour exhibited by adults with classical bipolar, thus raising the question of whether paediatric bipolar is a childhood manifestation of classical bipolar. The article discusses the changes in the DSM IV which greatly expanded the types of persons included under the bipolar label, and reviews studies examining the children of parents with well-characterised bipolar I and studies examining children of parents meeting criteria under the expanded definition of bipolar. It concludes that only children of parents meeting criteria for bipolar under the expanded definition are similar to children being diagnosed with paediatric bipolar, while the children of parents with classical bipolar I are not similar. Because of this, the article questions the usefulness of having broadened the bipolar label to children and, perhaps, their parents. The article ends with studies suggesting that some children meeting criteria for bipolar behaviour will grow out of this behaviour.
‘I want to be bipolar’…a new phenomenon
- Authors:
- CHAN Diana, SIRELING Lester
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 34(3), March 2010, pp.103-105.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
In recent times there has been increased public awareness of bipolar disorder due to improved media coverage. The willingness of celebrities such as Stephen Fry to talk about their own personal experiences of mental illness has reduced the stigma of the disorder and even associated it with celebrity status and creativity. Previous epidemiological studies have reported the prevalence of bipolar disorder in the US at 1-2% but further studies have shown that it is underdiagnosed and the true prevalence may be as high as 11%. The authors have noticed in their clinical practice a new and unusual phenomenon, where patients present to psychiatrists with self-diagnosed bipolar disorder. Previously, psychiatrists have diagnosed bipolar disorder with relative ease as patients present with clear manic symptoms requiring hospital admission. As bipolar disorder becomes recognised by the public and diagnostically accepted as a disorder with a continuum of mood changes, making or excluding a diagnosis of bipolar disorder becomes more of a challenge. This article discusses this diagnostic challenge, using the case study of 2 individuals presenting with possible bipolar disorder, and the implications for the patients and the practice.
The secret life of manic depression: everything you need to know about bipolar disorder
- Author:
- SYRETT Michel
- Publisher:
- BBC Learning and Interactive
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 24p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, but if it is well managed, with help from family, friends, support groups and health professionals, then a person with bipolar can lead a productive and satisfying life. Many well-known people, from the composer Robert Schumann to the American actress and writer Carrie Fisher, have lived or live with the condition. Bipolar disorder need not ruin your life: many people who manage bipolar disorder responsibly are married, have families, work, study and pursue pastimes of their choice.
Abnormal anterior cingulum integrity in bipolar disorder determined through diffusion tensor imaging
- Authors:
- WANG Fei, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 192(8), August 2008, pp.126-129.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Convergent evidence implicates white matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder. The cingulum is an important candidate structure for study in bipolar disorder as it provides substantial white matter connections within the corticolimbic neural system that subserves emotional regulation involved in the disorder. Fractional anisotropy in the anterior and posterior cingulum was compared between 42 participants with bipolar disorder and 42 healthy participants using diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy was significantly decreased in the anterior cingulum in the bipolar disorder group compared with the healthy group (P=0.003); however, fractional anisotropy in the posterior cingulum did not differ significantly between groups. These findings demonstrate abnormalities in the structural integrity of the anterior cingulum in bipolar disorder. They extend evidence that supports involvement of the neural system comprising the anterior cingulate cortex and its corticolimbic gray matter connection sites in bipolar disorder to implicate abnormalities in the white matter connections within the system provided by the cingulum.
White-matter hyperintensities in first-episode psychosis
- Authors:
- ZANETTI Marcus V., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 192(7), July 2008, pp.25-30.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
White-matter hyperintensities have been associated with both schizophrenia and mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder, but results are inconsistent across studies. This examines whether white-matter hyperintensities are a vulnerability marker for psychosis or are specifically associated with bipolar disorder. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired in 129 individuals with first-episode psychosis (either affective or non-affective psychoses) and 102 controls who were randomly selected from the same geographical areas. Visual white-matter hyperintensity ratings were used for group and subgroup comparisons. There were no statistically significant between-group differences in white-matter hyperintensity frequency or severity scores. No significant correlations were found between white-matter hyperintensity scores and duration of illness, duration of untreated psychosis, or severity of psychotic, manic or depressive symptoms White-matter hyperintensities are not associated with vulnerability to psychosis in general, or specifically with affective psychoses. Further, first-episode psychosis investigations using more quantitative methods are warranted to confirm these findings.
Incidence of childhood-onset bipolar illness in the USA and Europe
- Authors:
- POST Robert M, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 192(2), February 2008, pp.150-151.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The relative incidence of childhood-onset bipolar illness in the USA compared with that in Europe is controversial. The authors examined this issue in more than 500 out-patients (average age 42 years) with bipolar illness who reported age at onset of first episode, family history, and childhood physical or sexual abuse. Childhood or adolescent onset of bipolar illness was reported by 61% of those in the US cohort but by only 30% of those in The Netherlands or Germany. In the USA there was also twice the incidence of childhood adversity and genetic/familial risk for affective disorder. The findings deserve replication and further exploration.
Sustained attention and executive functions in euthymic young people with bipolar disorder
- Authors:
- KOLUR U. S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(5), November 2006, pp.453-458.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Persistent neuropsychological impairments have been reported in the euthymic phase of bipolar affective disorder. However, the findings have been confounded by multiple episodes, chronic illness and residual mood symptoms. The aim was to assess sustained attention and executive functioning in euthymic young people with bipolar I disorder who had had no more than two affective episodes. Thirty euthymic patients (with illness duration of less than 5 years and no more than two affective episodes) and 30 matched healthy individuals were assessed for sustained attention and executive functioning. The bipolar group (mean age 22.4 years, s.d.=2.52; duration of illness 20.87 months, s.d.=14.72), showed impairment on tasks of attention and executive functioning. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that deficits in executive functioning differentiated cases from controls. There was no correlation between residual depressive symptoms and neuropsychological performance. Deficits in attention and executive functioning were present in young people who had experienced only a few episodes of bipolar disorder, suggesting that the deficits are possibly trait abnormalities. Whether these deficits worsen with progression of illness needs to be examined in longitudinal studies.
Culture and assessment of manic symptoms
- Authors:
- MACKIN Paul, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(4), October 2006, pp.379-380.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Cultural background may influence the perception of psychiatric symptoms. We examined the effects of cultural biases on the identification of manic symptoms using the Young Mania Rating Scale. Two video interviews, each with an American person with mania, were shown to psychiatrists from three countries (US, UK and India). Total scores on the scale differed significantly between the US and UK (P<0.001) and between India and UK (P<0.001) rater groups. Overall, differences between India and US rater groups were less marked (P=0.28). These differences suggest that cultural biases influence the interpretation of manic symptoms
Juvenile BPD: a controversial diagnosis
- Author:
- CHAMPAGNE Natalie Jeanne
- Journal article citation:
- Open Mind, 170, January 2012, pp.22-23.
- Publisher:
- MIND
Labelling children with bipolar disorder is challenging and controversial. The author, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 12 briefly discusses her own experience of diagnosis, treatment beyond the medical model such as therapies, and how she is able to cope with her condition now.