Active clinical trials for "Bipolar Disorder"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether quetiapine or risperidone are effective in treating mood symptoms, drug cravings and use in bipolar disorder with concurrent cocaine or methamphetamine dependence.

The purpose of this study is to modify Integrated Group Therapy (IGT), which is has been found successful for patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and substance use disorder(SUD), so that it can be more readily adopted by community drug abuse treatment programs. IGT is being reduced from 20 to 12 sessions in this trial, and is being conducted by front-line drug counselors, to test its effectiveness in a more community-based setting. The training has been expanded so that counselors without much psychopathology training or cognitive behavioral therapy experience can conduct IGT.

The purpose of this research is to determine if pregnenolone supplement is associated with a reduction in substance use and craving in patients with recurrent major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder and substance abuse/dependence. This research also wants to explore if pregnenolone supplements are associated with improvement in psychiatric symptoms and memory, which are often negatively affected in these patients. It is hypothesized that patients receiving pregnenolone supplements would show greater improvements in mood symptoms and memory, and crave substances less than the patients receiving placebo.

The abuse of alcohol is especially common in people with bipolar disorder. However, very little is known about how to treat people with both bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse/dependence. The purpose of this research is to determine whether naltrexone add-on therapy is associated with a greater reduction in alcohol use and alcohol craving than with placebo (an inactive substance) therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To test the use of two adjunctive hormonal agents in a 28 day three-arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in the treatment of acute mania/hypomania. HYPOTHESIS: That women receiving adjunctive Tamoxifen or Progesterone will demonstrate a more rapid and more substantial decrease in manic symptoms over the course of the study than women receiving adjunctive placebo. STUDY POPULATION: Sixty females with a current diagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder or Schizoaffective disorder - Manic Phase, according to the operationalised criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association. STUDY MEDICATION: Tamoxifen. One third of patients (twenty) will be randomized to receive adjunctive Tamoxifen at 40 mg/day for 28 days. The Tamoxifen will be administered within a plain capsule to maintain "blinding" of treatment arm. Progesterone. One third of patients (twenty) will be randomized to receive adjunctive oral Provera (progesterone) at 20 mg/day. The Progesterone will be administered within a plain capsule identical to that used with Tamoxifen. Placebo. The remaining one third of patients will be randomized to receive adjunctive placebo (inert substance). The placebo substance will be administered within a plain capsule identical to that used with Tamoxifen and Progesterone. STUDY EVALUATIONS: Data will be collected over a 28-day period for each patient. Visits will be performed at baseline, and then at weekly intervals. A total of five visits will be completed for each patient. The following evaluations will be performed: Psychiatric evaluation to determine diagnosis. (Baseline visit only) General clinical evaluation including medical history, current conditions and a non-invasive physical examination, body weight, vital signs. (Baseline visit only) Medication history (baseline and evaluation visits). Demographics (baseline visits only). Completion of clinical rating scales; CARS-M, PANSS, MADRS, AIMS, Barnes Akathisia scale (BA), and Simpson-Angus scale (SA) (baseline and evaluation visits). A Menstrual Cycle Interview and a cognitive assessment (RBANS) will be performed at baseline and endpoint (day 28) visit. Laboratory tests including; Serum levels of mood stabilizer, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Estrogen, Progesterone, Prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Testosterone and protein kinase C(PKC) (baseline and evaluation visits). Inclusion/exclusion checklist (baseline visit only). Informed consent (baseline visit only).

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), can be useful both to reduce coronary artery disease (CAD) risk and illness severity in clinically-stable patients with schizophrenia (or schizoaffective disorder), major depression or bipolar disorder (depressed phase) being treated with lipid lowering drugs (e.g., statins).

While many bipolar patients treated with mood stabilizing medications experience improvement in their symptoms, some continue to have ongoing difficulties with concentration and memory. The purpose of this study is to look at whether these symptoms can be improved by adding the compound methylene blue to the treatment plan of patients who are already taking lamotrigine. Methylene blue is an available 'over the counter medication' in Canada. It has been studied in the long-term treatment of mood symptoms in bipolar disorder. Several clinical studies done in bipolar disorder report that methylene blue has had positive effects on both cognition and mood. It is important to do further research in this area as we know that, for patients who continue to have ongoing cognitive difficulties, there is no recognized standard of care for bipolar patients who experience these type of deficits.

The Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians aims to reduce significant differences in treatment results among Pennsylvanians with bipolar disorder, especially among youth, the elderly, rural residents, and African Americans who are less likely to receive adequate treatment, less likely to remain in treatment once identified, and less likely to have positive results if they remain in treatment. Half of the subjects receive either Guideline Intervention (GI) or Enhanced Clinical Intervention (ECI). ECI is a combination of information and support, such as education about bipolar disorder, the medications used to treat it, information about sleep practices and habits that affect quality of sleep, review of symptoms, medication side effects, and coping with side effects. It is predicted that Enhanced Clinical Intervention will be more effective in reducing the differences in results between those most at risk compared to mid-life Caucasians. The treatment study occurs at three sites across Pennsylvania and has emphasized the recruitment of African Americans, youth (ages 12 through 18), and adults over age 65.

The primary aim of this proposal is to conduct a preliminary controlled trial of valproate and risperidone in children ages 3-7 yr. with bipolar disorders. A secondary aim is to carefully characterize these subjects using clinical rating scales and develop pilot data on a very young cohort of children with bipolar disorders that can be used to support an application to NIMH for a prospective, longitudinal study that will provide important information about the course, medication response, neurobiology and outcome of these patients.

Primary Objective : To compare the efficacy of valproate to lithium in Bipolar I patients suffering from a manic or a mixed episode according to DSM IV TR (APA 2000) [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) fourth edition (IV)Text Revision (TR)] and over a periode of 3 weeks and 12 weeks of treatment Secondary Objective : To evaluate the clinical and biological safety of valproate compared to lithium.