Bipolar disorder is common (affecting an estimated 1.5% of the adult population),
serious, disabling, and inadequately researched. A high priority of the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH) is to encourage both basic and clinical investigators to focus
their research efforts on bipolar disorder. In this overview, I focus on six areas
in which urgent questions and opportunities stand out: genetics, the mechanisms of
mood regulation in the brain, animal models, pharmacologic treatment development,
psychosocial interventions, and clinical trials. I will not discuss areas in which
research is on a steady, successful course, and thus less in need of intervention.
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© 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
