Mental health trust pays damages over man’s death

Mental health trust pays damages over man’s death

News 0

A mental health trust has paid out damages over the case of a man with bipolar disorder and a history of lighting fires who was trapped in a blaze at his cluttered tower block flat. Bob Crane, 61, a well-known character in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol, had been cooking on open fires at his seventh-floor council flat for more than a year because his electricity had been cut off. Concerns were repeatedly raised that Crane was putting himself and his neighbours at risk, but he died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning after his cooking fire got out of control. Crane’s son, Alex, ... »

Mood Stabilisers – An Effective Option for Older Adults

Mood Stabilisers – An Effective Option for Older Adults

Medication, News, Research 0

Two standard medications for bipolar disorder were effective in controlling symptoms at doses tailored to older people in a clinical trial of treatment in adults over age 60. The findings are an important step towards filling an existing gap in evidence-based guidance for treatment of bipolar disorder in older adults. People with bipolar disorder experience marked shifts in mood and energy; manic episodes are a hallmark of the illness. Mania is associated with severe disability and can be life-threatening. The disorder affects an estimated 2.6 percent of Americans, including older adults. Whil... »

A Short History of Bipolar

A Short History of Bipolar

General 0

The terms used for the bipolar extremes, ‘melancholy’ (depression) and ‘mania’ both have their origins in Ancient Greek. ‘Melancholy’ derives from melas ‘black’ and chole ‘bile’, because Hippocrates thought that depression resulted from an excess of black bile. ‘Mania’ is related to menos ‘spirit, force, passion’; mainesthai ‘to rage, go mad’; and mantis ‘seer’, and ultimately derives from the Indo-European root men- ‘mind’ to which, interestingly, ‘man’ is also sometimes connected. (‘Depression’, the clinical term for melancholy, is much more recent in origin and derives from the Latin deprim... »

Body clock may hold key for BD treatment

Body clock may hold key for BD treatment

News, Research 0

Scientists have gained insight into why lithium salts are effective at treating bipolar disorder in what could lead to more targeted therapies with fewer side-effects. Bipolar disorder is characterised by alternating states of elevated mood, or mania, and depression. It affects between 1 and 3 per cent of the general population. The extreme ‘mood swings’ in bipolar disorder have been strongly associated with disruptions in circadian rhythms – the 24-hourly rhythms controlled by our body clocks that govern our day and night activity. For the last 60 years, lithium salt (lithium chlo... »

Benefits of Bipolar Disorder?

Benefits of Bipolar Disorder?

News, Research 0

Some individuals with bipolar disorder say they experience highly-valued, positive experiences from living with the condition, according to new research by Lancaster University. According to the study, ten people (ages 24 to 57) with bipolar disorder reported several perceived benefits in having the condition, which included having sharper senses and increased productivity. For the study, researchers set out to investigate growing evidence that some people with bipolar value certain experiences the disorder brings, and in some cases, would prefer to keep the condition. Study participants descr... »