Background: Chronic diseases affect the lives of the patient and caregiver. Caring for a patient with a chronic psychiatric illness, such as bipolar disorder, is a stressful and challenging activity. Caregivers of severe psychiatric patients are the primary victims of violence by patients. Caring for these patients can be very stressful for the caregiver to the extent of experiencing post-traum...

Numerous studies have been done on using low serum lithium levels for maintenance therapy of bipolar mood disorder over the past 30-40 years. In this study we sought for the most suitable serum lithium level that having longer relapse's interval periods and less side effects as to recommended it as a maintenance serum lithium level. Thus, we studied 90 patients with bipolar mood disorder (accor...

This paper consists of a case history and an overview of the relationship, aetiology, and treatment of comorbid bipolar disorder migraine patients. A MEDLINE literature search was used. Terms for the search were bipolar disorder bipolar depression, mania, migraine, mood stabilizer. Bipolar disorder and migraine cooccur at a relatively high rate. Bipolar II patients seem to have a higher risk of...

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that chronic inflammation may play a vital role in the pathophysiology of both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and bipolar disorder. Among patients with GERD, the risk of bipolar disorder has not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE We explored the relationship between GERD and the subsequent development of bipolar disorder, and examined the risk factors for...

BACKGROUND Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies (MRS) reported abnormally low levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA, a marker of neuronal integrity) in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of adult bipolar patients, suggesting possible neuronal dysfunction. Furthermore, recent MRS reports suggested possible lithium-induced increase in NAA levels in bipolar patients. We examined with in vivo (1)...

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder are among relatively prevalent disorders during childhood and adolescence. Considering the negative impact of the parents' drug dependency and bipolar disorder, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD and conduct disorder in children of drug-dependent and bipolar parents. Methods: In this case-control ...

It is known that in patients with bipolar disorder, depressive episodes last longer than mixed or manic/hypomanic episodes and there are reports detailing the difficulties confronted in its treatment. The concept of treatment resistant depression in bipolar disorder has not been as well described as that in treatment resistant unipolar depression. Here we present two patients with treatment res...

BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder is a common psychiatric mood disorder that is defined by recurrent episodes of abnormally elevated mood and depression. Progressive structural brain changes in individuals with bipolar disorder have been suggested to be associated with defects in the secretion of neurotrophic factors. We sought to assess how the regulated secretory pathway in the brain is affected in...

BACKGROUND Thyroid disorders have long been associated with psychiatric illness, often with symptoms suggestive of mood disorders. The most common clinical features associated with hyperthyroidism are anxiety and depression. The risk of bipolar disorders, especially bipolar mania, among patients with thyroid disorders has not been well characterized. OBJECTIVE We explored the relationship of ...