Last Monday I blogged about a series of published research studies indicating that bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may be the same disorder with the same cause. In response, many of you made some valid points regarding the media’s reporting of research as well as the relevance of research findings. As a matter of fact, we receive similar responses whenever we open a discussion about current research so I expounded on these:

1. The Role of Media in Reporting Medical Research
2. The Scientific Method of Research

Going back to the specific research we’ve been discussing this week, one additional point we need to keep in mind is that the productivity of research is accelerating. Consider the computer industry. Within my lifetime, the work now achieved by a calculator found in every high school student’s backpack previously took a room full of processing machines the size of refrigerators to crunch the same calculations.

These leaps in understanding and technology are now the reality of medical research as well. The mapping of the human genome was completed in 2003 after only 13 years of intense collaborative and integrated research. The results of this project are now informing the research of every medical field.

The genome project was critical to the work reported in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia articles published this week. These studies were an incredible breakthrough in understanding for both of these disorders as well as many other mental illnesses. These studies are very large and approach the hypothesis of the cause from a different method, but replicated the results of many years of previous research across many disciplines -- psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biology, etc. -- that have indicated a strong genetic component to both these disorders.

The incredible significance of these studies is that they will narrow and focus future research bringing to bear the contributions of many more research teams. I feel confident in predicting that we will see future gains in understanding moving the hypothesis of cause much more quickly toward theory. And these gains will be informing the research of treatment modalities as well. I expect that in the next few years we will see treatment options vastly different -- much more targeted with far fewer side effects -- that are now available.~Kimberly

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Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder caused by long-term use of certain medications called neuroleptic drugs such as the antipsychotic medications used to treat bipolar disorder. Other drugs that increase the brain's sensitivity to the neurotransmitter dopamine may also cause this serious side effect. It is characterized by uncontrolled facial movements such as protruding tongue, chewing or sucking motions and making faces.

A friend on Twitter recently recommended the TD Center. It is a website dedicated to “helping families regain control.” I’ve been reading through their information today and it looks to be a wonderful resource so I thought I would share. It is the link provided above.

Have any of you been diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia? Did it develop over an extended period of taking medication or come on suddenly. Were you able to get the symptoms under control? Post a comment sharing your experience. ~Kimberly

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Not just a clever expletive, a Zeitgeber is an environmental cue that resets a person’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock of all living things. Bora Zivkovic, also known as the blogger Coturnix, is a scientist who specifically studies the circadian clocks of birds, but also all animals in general including humans. He has written a number of articles on Lithium, Circadian Clocks and Bipolar Disorder.

Coturnix notes that our internal clocks, unlike a lot of animals, are sensitive to environmental and social cues. “Whenever you start a new relationship, get a new job, buy a new pet, or have a baby, your schedule is disrupted.” And people with bipolar disorder are extremely sensitive to these changes.

Marcia notes in Mood Disorders and Sleep that “studies have found that 25 to 65 percent of those with bipolar disorder who had a manic episode experienced a social rhythm disruption prior to the episode.”

Have you found this to be true? Do changes in your schedule or surroundings throw you off? Have you found anything to be really triggering? What helps when this does happen? Post a comment sharing your experience. ~Kimberly

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Bipolar disorder is Mjolnir, the devastating war hammer of the god Thor. With both a hammer head and a spike, it has two brutal blows. Bipolar disorder takes a toll on those who have the disorder; it also beats on people in the lives of those with bipolar disorder.

LZ, a friend to someone with bipolar disorder, shares in a forum post, “I've just been pushed away really hard, and I guess maybe if I could hear some others explain what they're thinking when they do it, I mean... push people away that they care about, it would help me be more compassionate toward the person who pushed me away.

“I'd like to think of myself as someone who is willing to learn. If I made a mistake, I want to learn from it. If someone else made a mistake, I'd like to learn from that, too.”

We have quite an ongoing conversation about how family member can help someone with bipolar disorder. So let’s flip the conversation to the perspective to our loved-ones. How can someone with bipolar disorder help a friend or a loved-one better understand? What advice do you have to offer LZ? ~Kimberly

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