Bipolar disorder is an illness of the brain which is characterised by extreme moods of feeling very high and active or agitated with rapid thought (manic) or feeling very low (depressive). Bipolar disorder is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental insults to the brain that affect brain development. There is no cure. Treatment involves mood stabilising and antipsychotic medication, and psychological and lifestyle therapies.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness involving mood fluctuations between extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression). Some people with bipolar disorder also experience psychosis and become unable to discern what is real.

• On average, it takes ten years and four doctors before an accurate diagnosis is reached
• One in 50 adult Australians are diagnosed with bipolar disorder each year
• The disorder usually begins to manifest in the 20s, a key decade of life for establishing a solid future

Bipolar Disorder Research

Studying donated human post-mortem brain tissue together with preclinical research, the Florey is working to understand the biochemical changes in the brain that may give rise to bipolar disorder.