Eye Exams Crucial for Mental Health: New Study

Mental Health, Retinal Disease Linked: Study Shows Higher Risk Table of Contents Mental Health, Retinal Disease Linked: Study Shows Higher Risk mental health link: bipolar, depression tied to higher risk of retinal disease, vision loss the connection between mental health and vision key findings at a glance did you know? study methodology the numbers behind … Read more

Study Underscores Need for Eye Exam in Psych Disorders

TOPLINE: Individuals older than 50 years with bipolar or major depressive disorder were more likely to have retinal disease, and those with a diagnosis of retinal disease and a psychiatric illness were at sharply higher risk for impaired vision than those with retinal disease alone. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of adults aged … Read more

Postpartum Psychosis Risk Linked to Sister’s Medical History

LOS ANGELES — Risk for postpartum psychosis is significantly higher in women who have a sister who has experienced the condition and/or has bipolar disorder (BD), a new study showed. In a population-based cohort study of nearly 1.7 million women, those with a full sister who had had the disorder were 10 times more likely … Read more

Seasonality Linked to Different Bipolar Features

LOS ANGELES — Mood episodes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) that occur more frequently or severely during specific seasons — known as seasonality patterns — are associated with treatment response and different characteristics and subtypes of the disorder, new research suggested. In a study of more than 1700 patients with BD, investigators found links … Read more

Heat May Worsen Mania but Ease Depression, Study Finds

TOPLINE:  Each 1°C increase in the mean daily temperature reduced the symptoms of depression by 0.2% but increased the symptoms of mania by 0.4% in patients with mood disorders, new research showed. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analysed data from 4000 adults (mean age, 30.9 years) with depressive symptoms and 2132 adults (mean age, 30.4 years) with manic … Read more

Underfunded and Underdiagnosed: What’s Next for BD

Bipolar disorder (BD) is common, affecting some 6 million Americans and 3% of individuals worldwide. Despite its high prevalence, experts say the disorder is poorly understood, underdiagnosed, and underfunded. It’s been more than 50 years since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lithium, the best treatment and gold standard for BD. But lithium … Read more