Bipolar Disorder, One of
the Illnesses That Will Be Studied and Treated at The New Mood Disorders Centre
of Excellence
(May 26, 2004) -- Imagine suffering frequent, extreme and disabling
mood swings that won’t go away despite years of
different treatments and diagnoses.
This is a common scenario for people with bipolar disorder, one of the
illnesses that will be studied and treated at the new Mood Disorders Centre of
Excellence at UBC Hospital, part of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research
Institute (VCHRI).
“The facility will offer research and patient care with a ‘bench to bedside’
approach, focusing on rapid translation of research into improved care,” says
Dr. Alison Buchan, associate dean, Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine.
“Co-ordinating mood disorder research in B.C. will help us recruit faculty to
this outstanding multidisciplinary team,” adds Dr. Bernie Bressler, VCHRI
director.
Directed by Dr. Raymond Lam, a UBC professor of psychiatry and a key
investigator with VCHRI, the Mood Disorders Centre has received approximately
$4.5 million in new research funding from community support. Its two program
streams -- the best integrated clinical research programs of their kind in
Canada -- are the Bipolar Disorder Program and the BC Credit Union Centre for
Excellence in Depression Research and Care.
The
depression centre is supported by a gift of more than $1 million to VGH and
UBC Hospital Foundation from BC Credit Unions that will provide for additional
researcher positions to expand the reach of the centre. New programs of
treatment include ReChORD (Relief of Chronic or Resistant Depression) that uses
an integrated and comprehensive approach, including expert medication
management, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy.
“Credit Unions have a strong history of community involvement and
forward-looking giving. As we began to truly understand the devastation of the
disease of depression, we felt we had to become involved,” says Wayne Nygren, BC
Credit Union president and CEO. “It is our hope and desire that the leading-edge
research that will be conducted at the Centre will offer enhanced treatments for
individuals and families coping with depression.”
A key element of the Bipolar Disorder Program is an early mania treatment
program that is the most comprehensive in the world. Called Systematic Treatment
Optimization Program in Early Mania (STOP-EM), it is made possible through
unrestricted funding of $1.5 million from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca
Canada Inc.
“STOP-EM is an innovative program that will help persons with bipolar
disorder cope with their condition early on,” says Karen Burke, vice-president,
medical affairs, AstraZeneca Canada Inc. “We're proud to be involved in an
initiative that will be so beneficial to patients, caregivers and healthcare
professionals.”
STOP-EM will provide early and accurate identification and diagnosis, using
comprehensive clinical assessment as well as neuropsychology and neuroimaging
approaches. Treatment will include pharmacological and psychosocial therapies.
“Patients, especially young adults, with bipolar disorder often suffer for
years without correct diagnosis or treatment. We want to increase chances of
improvement and recovery by diagnosing and treating individuals soon after their
first manic episode,” says UBC professor of psychiatry Dr. Lakshmi Yatham, a
VCHRI researcher and world leader in bipolar treatment who will oversee the
program.
Patients aged 14 and older with a current or recent first manic episode can
be referred to the program for assessment, treatment and optional participation
in the research component of STOP-EM. Researchers will assess social and
intellectual functioning, brain structure and chemistry and provide genetic
testing.
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