Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a serious but treatable disease of the brain. Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings from overly "high" and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression. Different subtypes of bipolar disorder, namely bipolar I, bipolar II, and rapid-cycling, are diagnosed according to the frequency and severity of these episodes.  More information about bipolar can be found on our resources page.

The Mood Disorder Center's current research projects concerning bipolar disorder are listed below.

STEP-BD

In an effort to begin to better understand bipolar disorder, a national, multi-site treatment study has been implemented. Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) is the largest treatment study ever conducted for bipolar disorder. It is a NIMH-funded, long-term outpatient project that hopes to determine which combinations of treatments are most effective for treating episodes of depression and mania and for preventing recurrent episodes. This five-year project will enroll approximately 5,000 patients with bipolar disorder into the care of specially-trained clinicians. There are currently over 10 sites conducting the study within the United States. Our patients who participate in the study will receive clinical care according to the medical benefits already in place for them. 

The primary objectives of STEP-BD are to:

• Implement common clinical practice procedures across a network of clinicians treating large numbers of bipolar patients in diverse treatment settings

• Determine the most effective strategies for treatment of the depressed phase of bipolar illness

• Determine which maintenance strategies most effectively prevent recurrence of affective episodes

• Provide a systematic means for translation of novel treatments and new findings into clinical practice. 

Other objectives include:

• To determine the benefit of specific interventions for bipolar patients with comorbid psychoactive substance abuse or dependence

• To determine the prognostic significance of common comorbid conditions

• To determine the benefit of specific interventions for rapid cycling

• To determine the benefit of specific treatment strategies for acute mania

• To determine the best treatment for bipolar women who are or want to become pregnant, and

• To determine the validity of proposed subtypes of bipolar illness.

See a flyer for STEP-BD.

See a patient brochure about STEP-BD.

See a list of frequently asked questions about STEP-BD.

For more information about STEP-BD, contact Robert Socherman at 503-220-8262 ext.54522.

The preceding documents are in .pdf format. If you cannot open them, click here to download Adobe Acrobat.

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