Active clinical trials for "Bipolar Disorder"

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.

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.

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.

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.

This study will determine the effectiveness of three different drug therapies in treating the symptoms of mania.

The purpose of this study is to understand the efficacy of light therapy for bipolar depression.

This is an 8 week study that compares two medications. One medication is olanzapine (5-20 mg daily) whereas the other medication is an orally disintegrating medication. Both medications are used to treat depressed bipolar patients. The main focus of this study is the comparison of these two medications on gastro-intestinal hormones and weight gain.

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).