Overview

Bipolar disorder affects between 2% and 4% of the Australian population and is characterized by mood swings. The symptoms of bipolar disorder show some commonality with schizophrenia and unipolar depression, suggesting that the pathology of bipolar disorder may be an intermediate in a continuum of disease. This symposium will present state-of-the-art information on the current diagnostic definitions of the bipolar disorders, neuroimaging and postmortem central nervous system data seeking to define the pathology of the disorder as well as data from basic research and clinical practice that seek to define the mechanisms and best practices involved in treating the disorders.