Juan Pablo Chart-Pascual, Miguel Angel Alvarez-Mon, Maria Montero-Torres, Francisco J Lara-Abelenda, Julen Marin-Napal, Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez, Raquel Martínez-Velasco, Iñigo Alberdi-Paramo, Ana Gonzalez-Pinto, Cesar I Fernandez-Lazaro
{"title":"Analysing lithium, quetiapine and valproic acid on social media: an infodemiology study.","authors":"Juan Pablo Chart-Pascual, Miguel Angel Alvarez-Mon, Maria Montero-Torres, Francisco J Lara-Abelenda, Julen Marin-Napal, Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez, Raquel Martínez-Velasco, Iñigo Alberdi-Paramo, Ana Gonzalez-Pinto, Cesar I Fernandez-Lazaro","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00395-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-025-00395-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although lithium is considered the gold standard for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder (BD), its prescription has declined in recent decades. At the same time, second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), such as quetiapine, and other mood stabilisers such as valproic acid, have been increasingly used. Social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) provide real-time insights into public and professional perceptions of these treatments, which may influence their use and adherence.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To analyse how lithium, quetiapine, and valproic acid have been represented on X, by focusing on user type, engagement levels, and thematic content of tweets.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We conducted a mixed-methods, observational study of tweets published in English and Spanish between 2008 and 2022. Tweets containing the generic or commercial names of lithium, valproic acid, and quetiapine were retrieved and analysed using a validated codebook and semi-supervised machine-learning models. Tweets were categorised by user type and clinical and non-clinical content themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 236,797 analysed tweets, quetiapine was the most frequently mentioned drug (69.4%), followed by valproic acid (19.1%) and lithium (11.5%). Lithium tweets showed the highest engagement (54.0 likes and 18.0 retweets per tweet). Patients mainly focused on quetiapine (47.0%), while healthcare professionals more often discussed lithium (58.1%). Tweets containing clinical content were more common in English (78.0%) than in Spanish (54.7%), especially regarding side effects (53.1% vs 8.2%). Tweets on effectiveness were more frequently discussed in English (48.8%), especially for quetiapine (54.7%), but were less common in Spanish (9.8%). Discussion about drug shortages was more prevalent in Spanish tweets (31.6% vs 0.5%), particularly for valproic acid (55.8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite lithium being the least mentioned drug, it generated the highest level of engagement, particularly among healthcare professionals. In contrast, quetiapine was widely mentioned by patients, which reflects a more socially widespread and, at times, problematic use. These findings highlight the value of listening to conversations on social media to better understand perceptions, concerns, and attitudes that may influence adherence and prescribing trends in mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145354733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giorgia Porceddu, Elena Teobaldi, Gabriele Di Salvo, Giuseppe Maina, Gianluca Rosso
{"title":"Postpartum mood episodes in bipolar I vs. II disorder: a retrospective observational analysis of clinical correlates.","authors":"Giorgia Porceddu, Elena Teobaldi, Gabriele Di Salvo, Giuseppe Maina, Gianluca Rosso","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00394-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00394-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The postpartum period is a recognized high-risk phase for maternal and infant health, yet predictors of bipolar disorder (BD) recurrence during this period remain unclear, particularly regarding distinctions between BD type I and II. This retrospective observational study assessed rates and clinical correlates of postpartum mood episodes in 248 women with a history of at least one pregnancy, affected by BD I (n:89) and BD II (n: 159). Participants were divided into two groups based on the presence/absence of postpartum mood episodes. Due to non-normal data distribution (Shapiro-Wilk:0.925, p < 0.001; Kolmogorov-Smirnov:0.122, p < 0.001), group comparisons were performed using Pearson's χ² test for categorical variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables. Logistic regression was used to identify clinical variables associated with a history of postpartum mood episodes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty-two patients (29.4%) in the overall sample had a history of postpartum mood episodes, with a higher prevalence in BD I than BD II (30.3% vs. 27.0%). A later age at BD onset was significantly associated with a lower risk of postpartum recurrences in both BD I (21.4% vs. 55.7%, p:0.010) and BD II (27.3% vs. 59.1%, p < 0.001). In BD I, women with peripartum episodes had an earlier age at menarche (36.0% vs. 10.0%, p:0.003). In BD II, those with peripartum recurrences showed an earlier age at first hospitalization (40.6 ± 13.0 vs. 51.0 ± 12.3 years, p:0.010) and higher rates of medical comorbidities (74.8% vs. 54.5%, p:0.013). Logistic regression analysis confirmed the associations observed between clinical variables and postpartum mood episode risk in both BD I and BD II subgroups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings indicate that in BD I underlying inherited constitutional factors (as age at onset and age at menarche) may influence postpartum episode risk, whereas in BD II recurrence appears more related to illness severity (such as age at first hospitalization and medical comorbidities). Given the lack of established predictors for perinatal recurrences, further studies are warranted to validate and expand these findings, enhancing the understanding of mood recurrence risk during the postpartum period.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12514082/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145274574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Constanza Sommerhoff, Marta Bort, Giulia D'Alessandro, Giovanna Fico, Michele De Prisco, Vincenzo Oliva, Brisa Solé, Carla Torrent, Andrea Murru, Andrea Ruiz, Arturo Rodríguez-Rey, Jose Sanchez-Moreno, Esther Jiménez, Anabel Martínez-Arán, Eduard Vieta, Laura Montejo
{"title":"The role of predominant polarity in older age bipolar disorder.","authors":"Constanza Sommerhoff, Marta Bort, Giulia D'Alessandro, Giovanna Fico, Michele De Prisco, Vincenzo Oliva, Brisa Solé, Carla Torrent, Andrea Murru, Andrea Ruiz, Arturo Rodríguez-Rey, Jose Sanchez-Moreno, Esther Jiménez, Anabel Martínez-Arán, Eduard Vieta, Laura Montejo","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00392-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00392-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Predominant polarity (PP) has emerged as a valuable course specifier in bipolar disorder (BD) with implications for prognosis and treatment planning. As the BD population ages, understanding its clinical characteristics becomes essential to tailor personalized interventions across the lifespan. This study aimed to characterize the distribution and clinical profiles of PP subgroups in a cohort of older adults with BD (OABD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included 101 euthymic OABD aged >50 years. Clinical, neuropsychological and functional characteristics were compared between depressive (DPP), manic (MPP), and undetermined predominant polarity (UPP) subgroups, based on at least 2/3 of lifetime episodes being either depressive or manic polarity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>UPP was the most frequent PP in OABD (59.4%), followed by DPP (27.7%) and MPP (12.9%). Patients with DPP presented a later age of onset, a depressive first episode, less psychiatric hospitalizations, and a trend to outperform MPP and UPP in visual memory. Participants with MPP presented more frequently with manic onset. The UPP subgroup exhibited worse clinical outcomes, including higher number of total episodes, more frequent suicidal ideation and seasonality, and worse financial disability compared to DPP.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PP classification distinguishes meaningful clinical and cognitive subgroups in OABD. The UPP subgroup associates with greater illness severity and functional impairment. These findings support the integration of PP into personalized treatment and prevention strategies in aging BD. Future longitudinal studies are needed to further clarify the trajectory of PP across the lifespan.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12480142/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145191672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shyh-Yuh Wei, Huai-Hsuan Tseng, Hui Hua Chang, Po See Chen
{"title":"Pleiotropic effects of oxytocin receptor polymorphisms: influencing striatocortical connectivity in bipolar disorder.","authors":"Shyh-Yuh Wei, Huai-Hsuan Tseng, Hui Hua Chang, Po See Chen","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00393-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00393-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide involved in social behaviors and emotions, exhibits bidirectional effects depending upon positive or negative environments. Our previous report highlighted dysregulation of OXT on striatocortical functional connectivity (FC) in bipolar disorder (BD) patients. We hypothesized that: (1) in healthy controls (HC), carriers of a \"sensitive\" OXTR allele would show altered FC, particularly in association with childhood trauma; and (2) this gene-brain relationship would be fundamentally altered or reversed in BD patients, reflecting a gene-disease interaction.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Thirty-nine BD patients and 32 age-matched HC underwent resting-state functional MRI and blood sampling for genotyping and plasma OXT level assessment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>BD patients, compared to HC, demonstrated elevated plasma OXT levels and higher scores in childhood trauma. Gene-disease interactions were observed in the striatocortical circuitry with OXTR rs53576 and rs2228485, with greater robustness in rs2228485. In HC, the rs2228485 AA homozygotes showed enhanced striatocortical FC with the sensory association and limbic areas, which were correlated with the childhood trauma. Conversely, alterations in ventral striatocortical FC were reversed among BD patients, with hypo-FC in AA homozygotes and hyper-FC in G-allele carriers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings highlight a gene-disease interplay, suggesting that individuals carrying the \"sensitive\" allele may exhibit context-dependent alterations in salience-related brain networks. Our results identify a potential neural mechanism through which the OXTR polymorphism modulates environmental sensitivity, with distinct effects in HC and BD. Childhood trauma may shape striatocortical FC in an OXTR genotype-dependent manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12399500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144953098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carolina Hernandorena, Micaela Dines, Alessandro Miola, Nicolas A Nuñez, Leonardo Tondo, Ross J Baldessarini, Gustavo H Vázquez
{"title":"Clinical prescription of lithium, anticonvulsants antipsychotics, and antidepressants for major mood disorders.","authors":"Carolina Hernandorena, Micaela Dines, Alessandro Miola, Nicolas A Nuñez, Leonardo Tondo, Ross J Baldessarini, Gustavo H Vázquez","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00381-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00381-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As choices of treatments for bipolar disorder types I (BD1) and II (BD2) and major depressive disorder (MDD) continue to evolve, we reviewed studies directly comparing current clinical usage rates of medicinal treatments for these disorders.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Comprehensive searching of five literature databases through March 2024 identified reports on clinical drug prescription rates for BD and MDD patients. Rates were summarized and compared by random-effects meta-analyses with R-Studio software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 18 reports (2006-2023) supported comparisons of clinically prescribed treatments for 17,572 mood-disorder patients (mean age 42.8 years; 7936 BD1 age 43.2 years; 6309 BD2, age 43.3; 3327 MDD, age 40.0). Among diagnoses: (BD1 vs. BD2 vs. MDD), treatments differed as: lithium (54.4% vs. 38.0% vs. 6.78%), second-generation antipsychotics (41.6% vs. 22.3% vs. 15.9%), valproate (25.7% vs. 21.5%; no MDD data), lamotrigine (13.1% vs. 27.2%; no MDD data), and antidepressants (34.9% vs. 46.4% vs. 77.5%). International use of lithium for BD appeared to increase between 2006 and 2023.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>Outcomes were heterogeneous and requiring inclusion of lithium may introduce selection bias.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Clinical treatment selections for BD1, BD2, and MDD patients differed substantially. Use of modern antipsychotics is undergoing major increases for both BD and MDD; optimal use of antidepressants for BD remains uncertain; and notably, international use of lithium tended to increase in the present data.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12240914/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144591114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Monica Macellaro, Rita Cafaro, Carlton Max Kelly, Michael J Ostacher, Bernardo Dell'Osso, Jihun Lyu, Mark A Frye, Ralph W Kupka, Susan L McElroy, Willem A Nolen, Paul E Jr Keck, Robert M Post, Heinz Grunze, Trisha Suppes
{"title":"The influence of depressive and manic symptoms on suicidal ideation in mixed mood states.","authors":"Monica Macellaro, Rita Cafaro, Carlton Max Kelly, Michael J Ostacher, Bernardo Dell'Osso, Jihun Lyu, Mark A Frye, Ralph W Kupka, Susan L McElroy, Willem A Nolen, Paul E Jr Keck, Robert M Post, Heinz Grunze, Trisha Suppes","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00390-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00390-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While bipolar disorder is strongly linked to an increased risk of suicide, recent evidence has challenged the assumption that mixed symptoms play a distinct role in suicidal ideation beyond depressive severity. This study examines how depressive, hypo/manic, and mixed features influence suicidal ideation in individuals with bipolar disorder. Data from 903 participants in the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Network (1995-2002) were analyzed to assess associations between mood states, classified by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Clinician-Rated (IDS-C) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and suicidal ideation, measured using IDS-C item 18, using generalized estimating equations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Depressive symptoms were strongly associated with suicidal ideation (OR = 21.98, 95% CI: 15.31-31.54). Moderate hypo/manic symptoms also conferred risk (OR = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.51-6.49), and milder hypo/mania showed a weaker but significant association (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.05-2.89). The highest suicidal ideation was observed in individuals with hypo/mania featuring mixed symptoms (OR = 29.43), exceeding that of depression or depression with mixed features (OR = 21.98). However, findings diverged based on modeling approach: in continuous predictor models, SI was driven solely by depressive symptom severity, with no significant association observed for hypo/mania or its interaction with depression. In contrast, when mood states were categorized using clinically meaningful thresholds, hypo/mania with mixed features emerged as a distinct contributor to suicidal ideation risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings underscore the need for integrating both dimensional and categorical approaches to mood state classification in research on suicidality in bipolar disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"23"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144293736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Newton, Gurvir Matharu, Christopher A Jones, Arielle Kaufman, Radha Yagnik, Sarona McDonald, Jessica Makepeace, Melissa Dwyer, Alex Copello
{"title":"The feasibility and acceptability of mood on track: an online psychological intervention for bipolar disorder.","authors":"Elizabeth Newton, Gurvir Matharu, Christopher A Jones, Arielle Kaufman, Radha Yagnik, Sarona McDonald, Jessica Makepeace, Melissa Dwyer, Alex Copello","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00385-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00385-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite evidence that psychological interventions improve recovery for bipolar disorder, access to these in the United Kingdom is limited; online delivery provides opportunities to increase this. Mood on Track is a psychological therapy programme for bipolar disorder combining a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy group intervention with individual relapse prevention. The present study reports on a feasibility and acceptability trial of Mood on Track online, implemented within a routine clinical service, in preparation for a Randomised Controlled Trial. The online version retains the therapeutic elements of the face-to-face intervention, but is delivered via Zoom over more sessions and includes online exercises and breakout rooms.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A within-groups non-randomised longitudinal interventional study of feasibility and acceptability. Participants completed psychometric questionnaires at four time points from baseline to six months post-group intervention to evaluate change in recovery. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and a future study were assessed by measuring recruitment, intervention attendance and outcome measure completion.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Rates of recruitment, intervention completion and outcome measure completion demonstrate that Mood on Track online and a larger future trial are feasible and acceptable. Analysis of efficacy found that the primary outcome measure of personal recovery on the Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire significantly increased between the start and end of the group intervention and continued to significantly increase at follow-up. Scores on the secondary outcome measure of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire decreased significantly between the start and end of the group intervention.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The present study provides quantitative evidence that a future RCT of Mood on Track online is feasible in terms of recruitment, delivery procedures and data collection. The findings provide promising evidence that Mood on Track online is an acceptable intervention to service users and shows signs of efficacy through significantly increased recovery and reduced anxiety. This adds to literature demonstrating that online psychological interventions are effective and provide an innovative method for delivery. Provision of digital therapies could increase offer and take-up of therapy for people with bipolar disorder and improve recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12149070/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144258050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gaia Sampogna, Isabella Berardelli, Umberto Albert, Giulio Perugi, Maurizio Pompili, Alfonso Tortorella, Mirko Manchia, Gabriele Sani, Andrea Fiorillo
{"title":"Prescribing lithium for the management of persons suffering from bipolar disorders: expert consensus based on a Delphi study.","authors":"Gaia Sampogna, Isabella Berardelli, Umberto Albert, Giulio Perugi, Maurizio Pompili, Alfonso Tortorella, Mirko Manchia, Gabriele Sani, Andrea Fiorillo","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00387-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00387-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>According to international guidelines, lithium treatment represents the gold standard for the appropriate management of persons with bipolar disorder. However, prescription rates in ordinary practice are not in line with clinical guidelines' suggestions. Clinicians prefer to use drugs other than lithium, considering its low therapeutic window, the need for regular lab tests and its side effects profile. Based on these premises, a Delphi-method study focused on highly-debated aspects of lithium treatment in bipolar disorder has been promoted with the aim to reach a consensus among an expert panel of Italian psychiatrists.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The Delphi method is a structured technique aimed to obtain a consensus from repeated rounds of questionnaires where opinion/agreement among experts are important. A Steering Committee of experts has developed a 24-items questionnaire exploring: (1) the use of lithium as first choice for treating different phases of bipolar disorder; (2) the side effect and tolerability profile of lithium treatment as hampering factors for its use in clinical practice; (3) the lithium prescribing in special target population, such as adolescents, elderly patients, and pregnant women.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The questionnaire was delivered to a panel of 100 Italian psychiatrists, experts in the field of managing people with bipolar disorders. An almost complete positive consensus was reached for statements dealing with the use of lithium treatment as first choice in the management of patients with bipolar disorder, and as the first choice for preventing manic/hypomanic and depressive episodes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Current clinical guidelines and scientific evidence support the use of lithium as first choice treatment in patients with bipolar disorder. However, over the last decades a downward tendency in lithium's prescription has been registered worldwide. The present Delphi study confirmed the \"good clinical reasons\" for supporting lithium prescription in clinical practice. Our findings should be used to develop clinical practice guidelines and reduce the discrepancy between international guidelines and ordinary care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12145353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144247766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mikael Landén, Erik Joas, Alina Karanti, Lydia Melchior, Olof Zachrisson, Robert Sigström, Elin Hörbeck, Andreas Göteson, Erik Pålsson, Lina Jonsson
{"title":"The Swedish bipolar collection (SWEBIC).","authors":"Mikael Landén, Erik Joas, Alina Karanti, Lydia Melchior, Olof Zachrisson, Robert Sigström, Elin Hörbeck, Andreas Göteson, Erik Pålsson, Lina Jonsson","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00389-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00389-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Swedish Bipolar Collection (SWEBIC) was launched to investigate the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the procedures and assessment tools used during the SWEBIC data collection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The SWEBIC collection occurred in two waves, the first from 2009 to 2013, followed by the second wave from 2017 to 2022. Recruitment primarily relied on the Swedish National Quality Register for Bipolar Disorders (BipoläR). Additional sources included the Hospital Discharge Register, an online questionnaire, and identification of individuals with bipolar disorder from other cohort studies. We assessed the diagnostic validity of the BipoläR entries by reviewing randomly selected medical records from the study participants.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across the two waves, SWEBIC recruited 8580 individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 89 percent from BipoläR. The bipolar disorder diagnoses in BipoläR showed high agreement with medical records (positive predictive value of 0.90). The response rate in BipoläR was higher during the first (61%) than the second wave (23%). Further, the proportion of individuals with subtype 1 was higher in the first wave. Including individuals from other cohort studies, the total number of DNA samples from individuals with bipolar disorder in SWEBIC exceeds 10,000.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Using quality registries to identify patients for large cohort studies facilitates genetic research with high recruitment efficiency and throughput combined with rich phenotypic data. The extensive data and biological samples collected in SWEBIC will continue to be a valuable resource for future studies, advancing our understanding of the genetic basis of bipolar disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12144026/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144234023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
En-Nien Tu, Kate Ea Saunders, Layla Rashid, Louise Dalton, Cathy Creswell
{"title":"Communication with children about parental bipolar disorder: a qualitative interview study.","authors":"En-Nien Tu, Kate Ea Saunders, Layla Rashid, Louise Dalton, Cathy Creswell","doi":"10.1186/s40345-025-00384-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40345-025-00384-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The impacts of parental bipolar disorder (BD) on families and children highlight the need to understand how best to talk to children about their parents' diagnosis, especially as their developmental capacity for understanding grows. This qualitative study aims to explore the strategies, challenges, and support needs of parents in relation to communicating with their children (5-12 years) about BD, in order to inform the development of further interventions and resources.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit parents with BD, their partners, and stakeholders who support parents with BD. Recruitment occurred via social media, emails, and community outreach between April 2022 and April 2023. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents with BD or non-BD partners and 12 charity workers or mental health professionals. The interview guides explored participants' lived experiences and professional insights into communicating about parental BD with children. Data were analysed using reflexive, inductive, thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>Participants identified several benefits of sharing parental BD diagnoses with children, including fostering understanding, adaptation, compassion, and strengthening family relationships. However, they also noted challenges such as uncertainty, stigma, and potential distress for children. To make communication effective, participants emphasised the importance of age-appropriate dialogue, addressing children's concerns, providing reassurance, and preparing them for future episodes. They highlighted that transparent, interactive communication, thoughtful timing, and collaboration with family members and professionals are crucial for tailoring the process to each family's unique needs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings underscore the complexities of communicating a parental BD diagnosis to children, highlighting both the potential benefits and challenges. Participants emphasised the need for developing interventions and policies specifically tailored to address the particular communication needs of families impacted by BD.</p>","PeriodicalId":13944,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Bipolar Disorders","volume":"13 1","pages":"19"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12103402/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}