Author Archives: irbd

I always was an excellent student. “A” grades in every subject, at any level of school. But since high school, high school performance had to be related with lack of sleep, use of (mild, legal) stimulats, nicotine, caffeine, but then … Continue reading →

Hypomania in depressed patients is under-recognised and bipolar disorder is consequently under-diagnosed. Important information can be collected by self-assessment screening questionnaires, such as the Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32). The objective of the BRIDGE study is to investigate transcultural differences in the … Continue reading →

Bipolar disorder does not occur in isolation but instead is associated with numerous co-occurring conditions that strongly impact the course of the illness, including risk of relapse and even suicidal behavior, and functional outcomes. Anxiety, impulsivity and substance use occur … Continue reading →

HIGH SUPPORT SERVICE THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT: A THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT IS ESTABLISHED BY MEANS OF THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORT Core services establish a recuperative environment by means of therapeutic interventions and support. The framework for Therapeutic intervention work from the following models: … Continue reading →

Although full clinical recovery and good quality of life for the patients is the ideal target in the everyday clinical practice, suicidal behaviour is the most important (and most visible) treatment outcome in patients with psychiatric, disorders. Untreated and unsuccessfully … Continue reading →

Untreated and unsuccesfully treated major major mood disorder (particularly the acute, severe major depressive episode) is the main cause of attempted and completed suicide, particularly in the presence of comorbid Axis I/Axis II psychiatric disorders and other (psycho-social) suicide risk … Continue reading →

Bipolar disorders are quite prevalent, but frequently underreferred, underdiganosed and undertreated illnesses. The early recognition and appropriate treatment is particularly important, since untreated bipolar disorders carry extremely high risk of both attempted and committed suicide. Recent studies clearly show that … Continue reading →

Previous studies, performed mainly in the second half of the last century, focused primarily on the two extreme clinical manifestations of major mood disorders (i.e., unipolar major depression and “classical” bipolar I disorder), and found marked differences in almost all … Continue reading →

I was diagnosed as bipolar with psychotic features at age 41. I had several psychotic episodes over a period of several years before I discovered that adding a large quantity of salt to my diet could halt my illness. I … Continue reading →

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the main physiological systems which allow the organism to respond to environmental “stress”. The HPA axis is influenced by early life experiences and is responsive to acute life events and furthermore has long … Continue reading →