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Bipolar Biobank Helps Identify At-Risk Patients for Early Intervention

Source: Mayo Clinic

Diagnosing bipolar disorder can be challenging, and many times, clinicians are struggling with what is the best treatment option. Researchers hope that the Mayo Clinic's Biobank for Bipolar Disorder will one day provide genetic clues to facilitate the diagnosis of patients, and guide treatment selection.
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Smart kids doing stupid things: It’s the teen brain paradox. Extraordinarily quick to learn and rapidly reaching fluency in abstract thought, teens still make bonehead decisions, perhaps more so when routines relax in summer. But that’s because they’re operating with brains that are still a work in progress.

The best audio and video mental health presentations from the web, as selected by the The Balanced Mind Foundation.

Q: What is bipolar disorder?

A: A brain disorder marked by bouts of extreme and impairing changes in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior. Symptoms may emerge either suddenly or gradually during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.

Q: Can bipolar disorder be cured?

A: Clinical depression and bipolar disorder tend to be episodic in nature. These illnesses are treatable, but right now cannot be cured. The goal of treatment should be to manage the disease, decrease the severity of  depressive and manic episodes and keep recurrences to a minimum.

Q: What is the difference between depression and bipolar illness?

A: Clinical depression is also called "unipolar" depression because a person's mood swings only in one direction - down. Normal periods are separated by a steady drop in mood, which becomes lower and lower. In contrast, manic depression is "bipolar," because the mood swings range from low to high (manic) and back again.

Flipswitch is a fast-paced, fact-filled weekly podcast tackling issues such as wellness, stigma, and creativity. Join co-hosts Chris, Ryan, Gopi, and Emily each week for upbeat and informative segments such as 'Quizzo', '20 Facts in 120 Seconds', 'The 'X' Affect', 'Mood Disorders in the News', as well as interviews with the experts.

Dr. Hudziak is coauthor of one of the largest genetic studies looking at risk factors in children and youth. His research efforts have involved the study of genetic factors including social behaviors, obsessive-compulsive, attention, and aggressive behavior in boys and girls. 

The Flipswitch interview with Dr. Hudziak has been transcribed below.