Bipolar Disorder: Goldchluk A

Vázquez GH, Strejilevich S, García Bonetto G, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Zaratiegui R, Lagomarsino A, Goldchluk A, Kalina E, Herbst L, Gutiérrez B, Anonymous00416. · Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. · Vertex. · Pubmed #16601825 No free full text.

Abstract: The consensus guidelines of argentine experts in the treatment of bipolar disorders are the result of three days of work of the 10 main local experts under the organization of the Argentine Association of Biological Psychiatry (AAPB). It was adopted a mixed criterion for its preparation: all the recent data of the evidence medicine based published until now were discussed and were balanced with the knowledge acquired from clinical experience of the local experts on the bipolar field. It presents general recommendations and suggested therapeutic sequences for the phase of maintenance, the manic/hypomanic or mixed episode and the depressive episode. These have been divided according to the classification in type I and II; with or without rapid cycling. Since the group of experts identified the delay and miss-diagnoses like the most important barrier for a suitable treatment enclosed a series of recommendations for differential diagnosis of bipolar disorders.

Herbst L, Goldchluk A. · Servicio de Consultorios Externos. Hospital 'José T. Borda', Buenos Aires, Argentina. Programas de Trastornos del Animo. Proyecto Suma. Buenos Aires, Argentina. · Vertex. · Pubmed #19543566 No free full text.

Abstract: The STEP-BD is a public initiative, created to generate data, obtained in pragmatic or real life research environments, from the bipolar disorder. The primary objectives are: to investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in bipolar disorder, the impact on the disease course of these interventions in the 'real life' and to raise the knowledge about the disease. This program included in six years, n = 4361 patients. This program is not a study in phases but an infrastructure for more than 40 published studies and 30 conference presentations. These studies aim to capture the heterogeneity of the disease in their different clinical presentations, treatments, comorbidities, functionality and quality of life. Patients entering the program have a common assessment. The program consists of two main pathways: the standard treatment and randomized treatment of acute bipolar depression, bipolar depression and refractory relapse prevention. In addition several studies completed the program in an attempt to give coherence to the different clinical presentations of this disease, different treatments and interventions for similar clinical phenomena.

Vázquez GH, Kahn C, Schiavo CE, Goldchluk A, Herbst L, Piccione M, Saidman N, Ruggeri H, Silva A, Leal J, Bonetto GG, Zaratiegui R, Padilla E, Vilapriño JJ, Calvó M, Guerrero G, Strejilevich SA, Cetkovich-Bakmas MG, Akiskal KK, Akiskal HS. · Department of Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. · J Affect Disord. · Pubmed #18006072 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of affective temperaments between clinically unaffected relatives of bipolar patients and secondarily to investigate the impact of these "subaffective" forms on their quality of life (QoL). METHODS: The study was performed in seven sites across Argentina. We administered the scales TEMPS-A and Quality of Life Index to a sample of 114 non-ill first degree relatives of bipolar disorder patients ("cases") and 115 comparison subjects without family history of affective illness ("controls"). We used The Mood Disorder Questionnaire to rule out clinical bipolarity. RESULTS: Mean scores on all TEMPS-A subscales were significantly higher in cases, except for hyperthymia. The prevalence of affective temperaments, according to Argentinean cut-off points, was also higher, with statistical significance for cyclothymic and anxious temperaments. Regarding QoL, we found no significant differences between both groups, except for interpersonal functioning, which was better in controls. A detailed subanalysis showed significant effects of QoL domains for all temperaments, except for the hyperthymic. LIMITATIONS: We used self-report measures. A larger sample size would have provided us greater statistical power for certain analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the concept of a spectrum of subthreshold affective traits or temperaments - especially for the cyclothymic and anxious - in bipolar pedigrees. We further demonstrated that, except for the hyperthymic, quality of life was affected by these temperaments in "clinically well" relatives. Overall, our data are compatible with the "endophenotype" and "subaffective" theses for affective temperaments.

Goldchluk A. · No affiliation provided · Vertex. · Pubmed #12888854 No free full text.

Abstract: Due to recent long term follow up studies, the patients with Bipolar Disorder are in the Bipolar Depression phase most of the time. Is in the Depressive phase where most of the suicide attempts and the consumed suicides occur. The Bipolar Depression is the reason why the patients with Bipolar Disorder have an important functional deterioration. The treatments of the Bipolar Depression don't fulfill the expectations of the clinicians. There is a consensus about the use of mood stabilizers, and is controversial the use of antidepressants in the acute and in the maintenance phase due to the potential damage that they might produce in both phases. New drugs and new combinations are in study to improve the therapeutic results.