Treatment of Bipolar Illness: A Casebook for Clinicians and Patients

Robert M. Post, M.D.
Gabriele S. Leverich

Praise for Treatment of Bipolar Illness

“Robert Post is one of the modern pioneers and towering figures in the investigation and treatment of bipolar illness. This volume is a master class in bipolar disorder."
  —Russell T. Joffe, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, New Jersey Medical School

“This uniquely original book is the culmination of Robert Post’s decades of pioneering research and clinical work at NIMH and the Stanley Network in understanding the origin, course, and treatment response in bipolar disorder. [...] This work sets a new standard that should transform the day-to-day care of these patients and their families. It is a clinical masterpiece that would be hard to surpass."
  —Hagop S. Akiskal, M.D., Professor and Director of International Mood Center, Department of Psychiatry and Division of International Health and Cross- Cultural Medicine, University of California at San Diego

Overview—Contents—Excerpt

Most of the current research on bipolar disorder concentrates primarily on short-term therapeutic approaches to acute episodes of mania or depression. Treatment of BipolarIllness sets itself apart by focusing on the longitudinal course of manic-depressive illness and nuances of clinical decision-making in its long-term treatment. Covering a broad range of drugs used alone and in complex combination therapy, Post and Leverich present the most comprehensive compendium to date of bipolar research, focusing on long-term prevention of symptom relapse and addressing a range of critical clinical questions that remain relatively unaddressed:

• Do the few patients who achieve short-term remission maintain it?

• Do those with substantial partial improvement continue to follow this trajectory to remission or do they “stall out”?

• And what adjunctive treatments are required to achieve full stabilization for themuch improved or minimally improved patient?

In more than 60 unique case histories, the authors follow each patient’s course of illness and response to treatment. Each chapter also includes background literature and references, a list of 8 to 15 principles for clinical therapeutics, and an overview or take-home message. Also included are chapters on neurobiology and general pharmacology, details for professionals, and overviews for students.

Contents

I. Introduction

II. Phenomenology of Untreated Course of Illness

III. Pharmacology and Neurobiology of Bipolar Illness

IV. Response to Mood Stabilizers

V. Other Anticonvulsants

VI. Calcium Channel Blockers

VII. Antidepressants

VIII. Benzodiazepines

IX. Antipsychotics

X. Complex Combination Therapy

XI. Electroconvulsive Therapy

XII. Other Somatic Treatments

XIII. Dietary and Other Supplements

XIV. Illness Complications and Comorbidity

XV. Childhood Onset of Bipolar Illness

XVI. Conclusion

XVII. Appendices

Excerpt

From Treatment of Bipolar Illness:

We have found that the life chart becomes a useful clinical tool and may help trigger earlier and different therapeutic interventions by uncovering illness patterns, and by discerning early trends in a patient’s course and response to treatment that are not otherwise easily evident from even very extensive written hospital and outpatient records.

About the Authors

Robert M. Post, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University, and Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA and has worked at NIMH for 37 years studying and treating unipolar and bipolar patients who experienced treatment resistance to conventional medication. He and his group have won more than a dozen national and international awards for helping to better understand and treat the recurrent affective disorders.

His models have led to the reconceptualization of the affective disorders as potentially progressive, increasingly damaging the self and the brain unless treated vigorously in long-term prevention.

Gabriele S. Leverich, MSW, is a Board Certified Diplomate of Social Work. As Head of Longitudinal Studies during 22 years in the Biological Psychiatry Branch at NIMH and as a Principal Investigator in the Bipolar Collaborative Network, she has published over 140 articles and is a recognized expert in the course, morbidity, and treatment of bipolar illness.

ISBN 10: 0-393-70537-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70537-9
2008 / 704 pages / hardcover