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Chapter 17 - Bipolar Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

By
Marsal Sanches  and
Jair C. Soares
Edited by
Marsal Sanches  and
Jair C. Soares
Marsal Sanches
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
Jair C. Soares
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
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Summary

Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the most important and potentially incapacitating mental disorders, typically characterized by the alternation of depressive symptoms with periods of elevated mood, called manic or hypomanic episodes. The present chapter provides an overview of the main aspect of this psychiatric condition, including its clinical presentation, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and therapeutic aspects. While the diagnosis and management of BD can be challenging, ongoing research has led to considerable advances in its understanding. It is expected that those advances will bring about improvements in the identification and treatment of this mental illness.

Keywords

Bipolar DisorderDiagnosisTreatmentMood StabilizerBipolar Depression
Type
Chapter
Information
Fundamentals of Clinical Psychiatry
A Practical Handbook
 , pp. 158 - 169
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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