Latent Bipolar Disorder

Latent bipolar disorder was first introduced to discuss cases where individuals with depression who have been unresponsive to antidepressant therapy were introduced to lithium as an adjunctive treatment to the antidepressants, and when lithium was discontinued, these individuals were at a greater risk of developing bipolar disorder. This concept was later integrated into stating models proposed for bipolar disorder, to describe the subset of individuals who present mood and anxiety symptoms and increased risk for developing threshold bipolar disorder. Latent bipolar disorder has been discussed as a clinical dilemma, given its complexity, and researchers have emphasized that operational criteria for the identification of latent bipolar disorder are a major unmet need in the field of mental health.

Thus, this book provides a detailed description of the current literature supporting the identification of latent bipolar disorder, which will potentially help with the establishment of an operational criteria for the identification of latent bipolar disorder. For instance, the importance of using antidepressants with caution in young individuals with depression has been discussed; however, there is no clear consensus on how to identify this specific population that initially presents with mood symptoms (e.g., unspecified mood symptoms, major depressive disorder), but is highly vulnerable to developing bipolar disorder.

The accurate identification of latent bipolar disorder has substantial implications for clinical practice. This is because it is well known that the treatments for major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder differ substantially, and the appropriate treatment results in a better prognosis. This work will provide evidence-based findings to help clinicians to identify latent bipolar disorder. Edited by leading researchers in the field, the book systematically covers the theoretical basis for the definition of latent bipolar disorder, data-driven findings supporting this definition, challenges, and future directions, as well as clinical implications and recommendations for practice.

Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, will find this work valuable.

Taiane de Azevedo Cardoso is a clinical psychologist with a doctorate in health and behavior. Her research field is focused on understanding the clinical trajectories of individuals suffering from mood disorders through prospective cohort studies. She completed her post-doctoral research on Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMater University (Canada). She has more than 130 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals in the field of Psychiatry. In 2023, she received the Samuel Gershon Junior Investigator Award from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders. Importantly, she was recently ranked among the top 1% of researchers in the field of bipolar disorder according to Expertscape.

Ives Cavalcante Passos, MD, PhD is a professor of psychiatry at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. He completed his postdoctoral research on neuroscience and artificial intelligence at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) – Houston, Texas, USA. In 2016, he was selected as a Young Physician Leader by the Interacademy Medical Panel (M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers) and the Brazilian National Academy. Dr. Passos has a total of 125 peer-reviewed articles published in top psychiatric journals in PubMed. He has authored a total of seven books, including the Springer Nature titles “Bipolar Disorder: An Evidence-Based Clinical Guide”, “Personalized Psychiatry – Big Data Analytics in Mental Health”, and “Digital Mental Health”.

Flávio Kapczinski, MD, PhD is a leader in the field of research on bipolar disorder, an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University, and a full professor at UFRGS.

Prof. Kapczinski has also served as a mentor, with several former trainees currently occupying important academic positions around the globe. Currently he is among the three most productive researchers in the field of bipolar disorder, and among the five most influential researchers in psychiatry in Canada. In 2013, he received the Mogens Schou Prize for Education from the International Society of bipolar disorders. Clarivate Inc (formerly Thomson Reuters) listed Prof. Kapczinski among the most influential minds in academia, and he has a total of 554 peer-reviewed articles in Pubmed. He published a total of 9 books, including the Springer books entitled “Personalized Psychiatry: Big Data Analytics in Mental Health” and “Digital Mental Health”.