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Advances in understanding bipolar disorder topics of press briefings June 7, 8

PITTSBURGH, June 5 – The International Conference on Bipolar Disorder, held every two years, is the only venue in the world devoted exclusively to highlighting new research into understanding bipolar disorder, which affects both adults and children, devastates families, accounts for nearly half of all suicides in the United States, and costs billions of dollars in medical bills, missed work and lower productivity each year.

The Seventh Conference will be held June 7-9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, and is being sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

To accommodate media, a press room will be located in Rooms 310-311 of the Convention Center and will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, June 7, and Friday, June 8. The phone number in the press room will be (412) 325-6051. A press briefing will be held each day and will cover the following topics and research findings. Reporters wishing to participate in press briefings via telephone conference call should dial 800-860-2442 and reference the bipolar briefing. International participants should dial (412) 858-4600.

Understanding Bipolar Disorder: New Tools – As in most other medical conditions, genetics and imaging play a vital role in understanding this disease and in providing promising solutions to diagnosis and treatment. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institute of Mental Health will discuss their latest findings in identifying changes in the brain chemistry linked to bipolar disorder and using neuroimaging to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder.

Comorbidities of Bipolar Disorder: Causes and Impact – More often than not, a person with bipolar disorder will be afflicted with an additional disease. These comorbid conditions, which can be psychiatric or physical, can severely impact overall health and intensify the severity of each condition. Researchers from The University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, will discuss the impact of comorbid disorders on the person with bipolar disorder and a possible genetic link between bipolar disorder and conditions such as auto-immune diseases.

Other sessions that may be of interest to news media include:

• Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health, will discuss the Institute’s vision of research, which includes revolutionary technologies and evolutionary practices that can transform treatments and services for people with bipolar disorder, in a special report at 1 p.m., Thursday June 7.

• The latest information about bipolar disorder in children and the role of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the course, diagnosis and treatment of the disorder will be presented in a session at 2:45 p.m., Thursday, June 7.

• A symposium at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 9, and numerous poster presentations will address how bipolar disorder is treated in countries across the world, including Nigeria, India, Brazil, Australia and the United Kingdom.

For more information about the meeting, to request abstracts, register as press or learn more about press briefings, please contact Jocelyn Uhl Duffy at UhlJH@upmc.edu or call the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center News Bureau at (412) 647-3555. The preliminary scientific program and hotel information are available at www.7thbipolar.org.

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