A study published last year suggested that bipolar disorder may be over diagnosed in people seeking mental health care. Now new findings shed light on which disorders many of these patients actually have.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, involves dramatic swings in mood -- ranging from debilitating depression to euphoric recklessness.
In the original 2008 study, researchers at Brown University School of Medicine found that of 145 adults who said they had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 82 (57 percent) turned out not to have the condition when given a comprehensive diagnostic interview.
In this latest study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the researchers used similar standardized interviews to find out which disorders those 82 patients might have.
Overall, they found, nearly half had major depression, while borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety and social phobia were each diagnosed in roughly one-quarter to one-third.
READ MORE @ ABC NEWS
Showing posts with label borderline personality disorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label borderline personality disorder. Show all posts
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Houston scientists develop test for personality disorder - Malfunction is identified by brain imaging devices during game play
Using brain imaging devices and a computer game, Houston researchers have developed an objective test for borderline personality disorder, a serious mental illness whose sufferers are unable to form and maintain stable relationships.
The brain malfunction found by Baylor College of Medicine neuroscientists is thought to be the first identified for any personality disorder.
"I'm hopeful this will mark a new approach for mental illness," said Read Montague, director of Baylor's Human Neuroimaging Lab and the project's leader. "It should provide a tool to diagnose the condition and test therapy's effectiveness."
The research, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, is part of an ongoing effort to understand the neurobiology behind mental illnesses and to develop objective diagnostic tests for them, similar to the bloodwork, biopsies and x-rays used to diagnose other ailments. Baylor has been a leader in the effort.
As many as one in five psychiatric inpatients have borderline personality disorder, a formidable toll on not just those afflicted but on their social network and the health-care system.
READ MORE @ HOUSTON CHRONICLE
The brain malfunction found by Baylor College of Medicine neuroscientists is thought to be the first identified for any personality disorder.
"I'm hopeful this will mark a new approach for mental illness," said Read Montague, director of Baylor's Human Neuroimaging Lab and the project's leader. "It should provide a tool to diagnose the condition and test therapy's effectiveness."
The research, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, is part of an ongoing effort to understand the neurobiology behind mental illnesses and to develop objective diagnostic tests for them, similar to the bloodwork, biopsies and x-rays used to diagnose other ailments. Baylor has been a leader in the effort.
As many as one in five psychiatric inpatients have borderline personality disorder, a formidable toll on not just those afflicted but on their social network and the health-care system.
READ MORE @ HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
