Abstract
The main aims of this book are to highlight recent advances in the research and treatment of bipolar disorder, as well as building on established knowledge. It would complement but not replace a more comprehensive text such as Manic-depressive illness by Goodwin and Jamison (1990) published by Oxford University Press, New York. Written by contributors from the United States who consist of some key experts (e.g. D.S. Janowsky, R.M. Post and P.J. Goodnick) and others less well known, the book is broadly divided into three sections: namely, diagnostic considerations, biological aspects and treatment.
The first section tries to shed light on issues concerning the overlap of bipolar disorder with creativity, childhood mood disorders and alcohol abuse, although important entities like cyclothymic disorder, personality disorders and schizoaffective disorder are hardly mentioned. The chapter on comorbid alcoholism is useful because of its focus on management. The section ends with a good overview of the genetic studies in bipolar disorder.
The following section on biological aspects reviews the available evidence for the role of serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, acetylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the aetiology and treatment of bipolar disorder. Then, an update on the electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies is provided together with a brief outline of current research technologies which is helpful to those readers unfamiliar with these advances. In particular, the excellent chapter on brain imaging contains a wealth of information which is comprehensive and systematically presented.
The most clinically relevant is the section on treatment which reviews the use of lithium, carbam-azepine, valproate and calcium antagonists in acute and prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder. There is also increasing interest in the role of novel antipsy-chotics given their potential therapeutic effect on mood and lower risk of adverse reactions. Some encouraging data on the use of new anticonvulsants (i.e. lamotrigine and gabapentine) are also presented, which may indicate a growing range of treatment options currently available for bipolar disorder. Psychosocial treatment approaches which are of particular interest to clinicians are under-emphasised probably due to the bias towards the biological perspective and the inadequate data available in this much needed area. Finally, the book concludes with suggested directions for future studies.
The use of the term ‘mania’ in the title of this book is somewhat misleading since it often refers to both manic and depressive illnesses. This perhaps reflects the relative lack of knowledge and research in the treatment of bipolar depression as compared to mania. Overall, the book is worth recommending to clinicians, academics and researchers as well as trainees wanting an update on recent advances in bipolar disorder. The writing is clear and concise but maybe a little dry. It is highly informative, quite readable and extensively referenced. Each subsection is usually well presented and has a good summary with a clinical focus.