Bipolar disorders constitute a complex group of recurrent mental illnesses with high prevalence among general population. The current systems of classification, such as CIE–10 and DSM–5, represent a significant advance for their accurate identification. However, there is still a relevant delay on their diagnoses. The present paper describes the more distinctive clinical features of these illnes...

BACKGROUND Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a are event-related potentials that index deviance detection and the orienting response, respectively. We have previously shown that the MMN/P3a complex is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and affective spectrum psychoses, which suggests that it may index a common pathophysiology and argues against the purported specificity in schizophrenia. Fur...

The diagnostic classification of mood disorders by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) had two major shortcomings: an underdiagnosis of bipolar disorders and a large proportion of treated patients had to be allocated to the vague NOS groups 'not otherwise specified'. Several new subthreshold groups of depression, bipolar disorders and mixed states are now opera...

Bipolar and substance use disorders are known to co-occur frequently, but limited attention has been paid to anxiety disorders that may accompany this dual diagnosis. Therefore, we examined the prevalence and nature of anxiety disorders among treatment-seeking patients diagnosed with current bipolar and substance use disorders, and investigated the association between anxiety disorders and subs...

BACKGROUND The Thai Bipolar Disorder Registry was a prospective, multisite, naturalistic study conducted in 24 hospitals across Thailand. This study aimed to examine the correlates of current suicide risk in Thai patients with bipolar I disorder. METHODS Participants were adult inpatients or outpatients with bipolar disorder, based on the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ...

BACKGROUND Previous research has examined the association of affective temperaments, as measured by the TEMPS-A, with DSM bipolar disorders. However, the relation of the TEMPS-A with risk for bipolar disorder remains unclear. The present study examined the association of affective temperaments with psychopathology, personality, and functioning in a nonclinically ascertained sample of young adul...

This is a review of the studies comparing unipolar and bipolar depression, with focus on the course, symptomatology, neurobiology, and psychosocial literatures. These are reviewed with one question in mind: does the evidence support diagnosing bipolar and unipolar depressions as the same disorder or different? The current nomenclature of bipolar and unipolar disorders has resulted in research t...

Egypt. J. Psychiatry, Jan 2009; 29(1): 35-42 Background: Associations between Eating Disorders (ED) and affective disorders have often been suggested in several epidemiological studies. There is a need to elucidate such comorbidity, as it can cause many risks to the patient. These risks can not only cause the patient to suffer further with bipolar disorder, but they can also do damage to the bo...