Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe.

What is the Link Between Insulin Resistance and Bipolar Disorder?

Metabolic dysfunction may be more than a comorbidity in bipolar disorder—it could be a key driver of disease progression and treatment outcomes.

Bipolar Disorder Counseling

The Genetics of Mental Disorder

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Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis

Bipolar Disorder

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Latest Bipolar Disorder News and Research

Study links household drinking water to long-term lithium exposure

Lithium in drinking water is a widespread and persistent source of human exposure across Tribal communities in the Western United States, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

24 Jul 2026

Motor abnormalities may predict multiple mental health disorders

Motor issues-such as coordination problems, motor slowing, or sudden, uncontrolled movements-have been recognized as signs of psychological disorders since the 1800s. How they map to mental health conditions, however, remains unknown.

22 Jul 2026

Low-dose lithium may protect brain networks in early Alzheimer’s disease

This perspective examines whether restoring physiological lithium levels could help protect cognition in early Alzheimer’s disease. It proposes that lithium may support cholinergic signaling and brain connectivity, but emphasizes that rigorous, safety-monitored clinical trials are needed.

21 Jul 2026

Dementia addiction and psychiatric disorders show distinct patterns of accelerated brain aging

People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, or psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia show increased brain aging, each in specific patterns within the brain, according to a study published July 21st in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Shile Qi from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, and colleagues.

21 Jul 2026

GLP-1 receptor activation linked to lower depression and bipolar disorder odds

Genetic analyses linked BMI-related GLP-1 receptor activation to better mental well-being and lower odds of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. The findings do not prove that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs treat psychiatric conditions, and randomized clinical trials are still needed.

15 Jul 2026

Semaglutide outperforms other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in psychiatric populations

A network meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials found that once-weekly semaglutide showed the largest estimated weight-loss effect among GLP-1 receptor agonists tested in adults with mental illness and obesity or related metabolic risk. The authors cautioned that the findings remain preliminary because the evidence base was small, heterogeneous, and largely indirect.

9 Jul 2026

Trial shows potential benefit of ketogenic diet for treating psychotic disorders

Published today in Schizophrenia Bulletin, a first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial (RCT) from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), adds to growing literature on the potential benefit of a ketogenic diet for treating psychotic disorders.

8 Jul 2026

Scientists urge caution over psychedelics as ADHD treatment

In recent years, there has been growing interest among adults with ADHD in the practice of microdosing classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD.

1 Jul 2026

Scientists map how chronic stress alters somatostatin levels in the brain

Consider the brake. Not the engine, which gets all the attention, but the brake, the quiet thing that decides how fast a system is allowed to go.

1 Jul 2026

Review assesses the efficacy of creatine as an add-on therapy for depression

Walk into any gym supplement aisle and creatine is there, sold by the tub to people chasing bigger muscles. It is one of the most studied compounds in sports science.

30 Jun 2026

Lithium MRI scans offer personalized treatments for bipolar disorder

A revolutionary scanning technique has revealed that lithium MRI is a powerful tool for studying how the drug interacts with the brain and could offer more personalized treatment for bipolar disorder.

29 Jun 2026

Gut bacteria may help explain why fatigue appears before illness

A small study of healthy Japanese adults found that fatigue was associated with distinct gut microbiome, microbial gene, and fecal metabolite patterns. The findings suggest fatigue may track with altered microbial energy metabolism and oxidative stress-related functional potential, but larger longitudinal studies are needed to test causality and clinical value.

16 Jun 2026

Large study uncovers brain network differences in bipolar disorder

New research from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has discovered subtle but widespread differences in the brain's communication networks in people with bipolar disorder, offering new insight into how illness severity and treatment may relate to brain wiring.

9 Jun 2026

Researchers identify hidden self-harm histories using machine learning

Important mental health history is often present in medical records but hard to find, especially when it is missing from the diagnosis codes that clinicians, researchers and health systems use to search and count conditions.

5 Jun 2026

UCLA researchers identify brain circuit controlling memory organization

When a person has a new experience, their brain faces a subtle but critical decision: should this experience be categorized with other stored memories, or should it be filed away as its own new memory? Getting it right allows the brain to help people navigate the world.

28 May 2026

Mental health diagnostic interviews are less consistent than thought

Diagnostic interviews are widely used by mental health professionals to identify conditions such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression in adults, but new research led by McMaster University shows that the long considered "gold standard" may not be as consistent as previously thought.

28 May 2026

Massive global analysis examines cognitive development in children of affected parents

A new study led by Murdoch University has found that children of parents with severe mental illness are more likely to experience cognitive difficulties.

19 May 2026

Epigenetic research links genetics and environment to mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar disorder, can strongly affect daily life.

18 May 2026

Gene mapping highlights strong immune and brain connections in depression

Neurons and white blood cells differ greatly in shape, function, and location within the body. However, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil discovered that certain genes are equally dysregulated in both cell types in people with depression.

11 May 2026

Study links metabolic dysfunction to cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder

While they share similar depressive and cognitive symptoms, the biological underpinnings of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are distinct.

11 May 2026