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.

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

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Latest Bipolar Disorder News and Research

Hyponatremia risk varies among individual second-generation antipsychotic drugs

Antipsychotics are used to treat schizophrenia, along with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. However, these medications can be associated with hyponatremia, a serious reduction in blood sodium levels.

8 Oct 2026

Genetic links to ADHD, autism and depression changed with age

The study examines genetic liability for neurodevelopmental disorders, revealing its impact on social functioning and educational attainment across life stages.

5 Oct 2026

New trial tests if diet can reduce bipolar depression symptoms

A clinical trial is set to test whether diet could help reduce depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder, comparing a high fat, low carbohydrate diet with standard NHS healthy eating advice.

1 Oct 2026

BD² announces third funding call for clinical sites to improve bipolar disorder care

Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) today announced its third call for applications for clinical sites to join the BD² Integrated Network.

29 Sep 2026

Common anti-epileptic medication shows promise in reducing migraine aura

A new study by researchers at Lund University in Sweden found that 85 percent of patients with aura-dominant migraine experienced a reduction in monthly aura days by at least half following treatment with the anti-epileptic drug lamotrigine.

25 Sep 2026

Scientists discover the molecular mechanism behind instantaneous memory formation

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: OHNO Hideo, Ph.D.) has discovered molecular mechanism of synaptic facilitation, instantaneous strengthening of synaptic transmission, which may be physiological basis of instantaneous memory.

24 Sep 2026

PsychAD studies map molecular mechanisms across major brain disorders

Research led by Mount Sinai scientists within the PsychAD Consortium, a large-scale, multidisciplinary initiative launched in 2019 with support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), is featured in a landmark collection of nine papers published across the Nature family of journals that maps the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and other brain disorders.

23 Sep 2026

BD² awards millions to study bipolar disorder mood changes

Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) today announced its fourth round of Discovery Research grants, totaling more than $13 million, focused on the biological mechanisms of intense mood changes, a hallmark of bipolar disorder.

22 Sep 2026

Your walking pattern may reveal more about anxiety and depression than you think

Researchers used smartphone and wearable accelerometers to examine how everyday movement patterns relate to anxiety and depression symptoms in middle-aged adults. Phone-derived gait states differed with daily symptom scores, while lower wrist movement was linked to greater anxiety in a small subsample, supporting further study of passive movement sensing for mental health monitoring.

16 Sep 2026

Astrocyte changes may explain how stress affects mental health

A new study led by UCLA Health researchers has identified a specific type of brain cell and a tiny structure on its surface that changes when the body is under stress, which may help explain why stress can lead to anxiety and depression.

8 Sep 2026

Post-trauma mental health conditions increase future cardiovascular risks

Mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, depression and anxiety, can develop after people experience trauma.

2 Sep 2026

Probiotics for mental health? A new review finds promising signals and major gaps

This narrative review examines how psychobiotics may influence anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia through gut-brain pathways involving neurotransmitters, inflammation, immune regulation, gut barrier function, and stress signaling. Specific Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains showed encouraging effects, but wide differences in strains, doses, populations, and study designs currently limit clinical translation.

28 Aug 2026

Study finds distinct patterns of innate immune activity in mental disorders

The immune system may also play a role in mental disorders. Scientists are investigating these links with brain function in greater detail, and new findings show that immune changes may differ by disorder type.

25 Aug 2026

Real-world study shows Oregon psilocybin services relieve mental health symptoms

People participating in an Oregon Health & Science University-led study of state-regulated psilocybin services reported relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder - with almost two-thirds declaring the experience to be among the most meaningful of their life.

19 Aug 2026

Severe mental illness may accelerate dementia and stroke vulnerability

People living with severe mental illness face a substantially higher risk of dementia throughout adulthood, as well as a significantly elevated risk of stroke in early and middle adulthood, according to a large new study based on health records from Catalonia, Spain.

17 Aug 2026

Comprehensive BMJ review identifies most effective bipolar disorder treatments

The most comprehensive review to date has identified the most effective bipolar disorder treatments across different age groups and mood phases. It was published today in The BMJ.

11 Aug 2026

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