#bipolar-disorder — Public Fediverse posts
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DATE: May 16, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brain reactions to fearful faces predict psychiatric hospitalization risk
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-reactions-to-fearful-faces-predict-psychiatric-hospitalization-risk/
People living with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder who show heightened brain activity when viewing fearful faces possess an elevated risk of psychiatric hospitalization within a year. A complementary tendency to recognize negative facial expressions more rapidly than positive ones also tracks with this heightened vulnerability. These findings emerged from a recent study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
Major depression and bipolar disorder represent two of the most common and persistent mood disorders globally. Both health conditions can severely disrupt a person’s life and sometimes lead to periods marked by intense psychological distress. The economic costs to society are immense, stemming from impaired occupational functioning and the need for intensive medical treatments. When symptoms escalate rapidly, individuals may require psychiatric inpatient hospital care for stabilization and safety.
Predicting who might experience these severe relapses remains a massive challenge for medical professionals. Clinicians usually rely on a patient’s medical history, current symptom severity, and medication status to estimate their risk for future hospitalization. Mental health specialists suspect that deeper biological and psychological markers could offer much better clues about a patient’s long-term trajectory. A prominent area of interest involves how the brain processes emotional information over time.
People with mood disorders often exhibit subtle differences in the way they interpret the social world around them. Previous research has linked depression and bipolar disorder to increased activity in the amygdala, a small structure deep within the brain that acts as a primary alarm system for detecting threats. Similarly, the fusiform gyrus, a brain region dedicated to recognizing faces, often works in overdrive when individuals with these health conditions view emotional expressions.
This elevated brain activity is thought to create a negative cognitive bias. Experts believe that inadequate regulation by the prefrontal cortex allows the amygdala to overreact to benign situations. This dysregulation leads individuals to perceive neutral social interactions as hostile or upsetting. The constant misinterpretation of social cues can maintain a depressed mood or trigger heightened anxiety.
To explore whether these neurological traits predict long-term clinical outcomes, a team led by Kamilla W. Miskowiak conducted an investigation. Miskowiak is a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Copenhagen and the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark. Her collaborative team sought to determine if a patient’s neurological and behavioral responses to faces could forecast their likelihood of severe health incidents. They suspected that heightened threat sensitivity might compromise psychological resilience and leave people vulnerable to sudden symptom spikes.
The research team recruited 112 participants who had previously been diagnosed with either major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. At the start of the investigation, the participants underwent tests to assess their mental state and gather baseline recordings of their emotional reactivity. The researchers utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging, a technology that measures changes in blood flow to observe brain activity in real time. Inside the machine, the participants laid still while viewing a series of photographs depicting happy or fearful human faces shown for mere fractions of a second.
While the scanner recorded their brain activity, the participants pressed buttons to indicate the gender of the person in each photograph. This task allowed the scientists to record continuous unconscious reactions within the participants’ amygdala and fusiform gyrus without the subjects actively thinking about the emotions shown. Outside the scanner, the participants completed an additional behavioral assessment on a standard computer. This secondary test required them to recognize a morphing facial expression as sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise, or happiness.
The computer program steadily increased the intensity of the emotional expressions during the testing phase. The participants were instructed to identify the emotion as quickly and accurately as possible by tapping labeled keys on a keyboard. Following the initial testing phase, the researchers tracked the participants for one entire year using the Danish national health registries. These comprehensive population databases keep extensive, centralized records of all hospital admissions and medical diagnoses across the country.
By analyzing the registry data, the team could precisely identify which subjects ended up admitted to a psychiatric hospital during the twelve months after their brain scans. Only inpatient hospitalizations strictly tied to mood episodes were counted in the final data. When reviewing the clinical timelines, the scientists discovered an association between excessive brain activation and subsequent inpatient care. Patients who displayed higher levels of activity in the left amygdala when looking at fearful faces experienced a much higher rate of admission to psychiatric facilities.
The registry results showed that a proportional increase in left amygdala reactivity equated to a roughly three percent higher average probability of needing hospital therapy. Other brain regions evaluated in the scan, like the right amygdala and the left or right fusiform gyrus, did not display a statistically significant relationship with future hospital visits. The behavioral data from the computer tests provided parallel insights into the patients’ mental vulnerabilities. Individuals who recognized negative faces faster than they recognized positive faces faced a noticeably higher risk of needing hospitalization.
For every slight increase in this face recognition speed metric, the participants experienced an approximate three and a half percent bump in their average baseline danger of admission. The accuracy with which they identified the specific emotions, however, yielded results that were not statistically significant in relation to future psychiatric visits. Miskowiak and her colleagues propose that these specific neural and behavioral markers indicate a hyperactive stress response system. An exaggerated sensitivity to threats might exhaust a person’s coping mechanisms over several months.
Without adequate mental regulation, constant negative perceptions could easily exacerbate depressive or manic episodes until they reach an emergency threshold. The researchers emphasize that the tests highlight a potential vulnerability profile rather than an underlying mechanism that spontaneously triggers an episode. The study provides novel prognostic insights, but it comes with a few limitations that warrant consideration. Out of the 112 participants monitored throughout the year, only 20 individuals ultimately required psychiatric hospitalization.
This modest number of serious clinical events means that larger validation studies are necessary to confirm the exact patterns of risk. The participant group also included people taking a wide variety of psychotropic medications, which might have influenced individual brain responses in subtle ways. Because the research relied entirely on observational data from health registries, the design cannot determine if the negative cognitive biases directly provoke the hospitalizations. The associations simply indicate that exaggerated threat responses tend to coincide with poorer clinical outcomes.
The researchers also combined patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder into a single group to maintain sufficient statistical power. Future work might separate these populations to see if the predictive biomarkers act differently depending on the specific diagnosis. Moving forward, the scientists hope to explore whether these threat-processing markers can actively guide therapeutic decisions in clinics. If clinicians can identify patients with high amygdala reactivity early on, they might be able to offer more targeted interventions.
Preventative psychological therapies designed to reduce negative cognitive biases could theoretically lower the overall disease burden for the highest-risk populations. Modifying the way these brains process emotional information might ultimately keep more patients safe and out of emergency psychiatric wards.
The study, “Amygdala reactivity to threat, negative facial perception, and risk of future psychiatric hospitalizations: a longitudinal study in major depressive and bipolar disorders,” was authored by Kamilla W. Miskowiak, Brice Ozenne, Hanne L. Kjærstad, Patrick M. Fisher, Emily E. Beaman, Vibeke H. Dam, Alexander T. Ysbæk-Nielsen, Gitte M. Knudsen, Lars V. Kessing, Julian Macoveanu, Vibe G. Frøkjær, and Anjali Sankar.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/brain-reactions-to-fearful-faces-predict-psychiatric-hospitalization-risk/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AmygdalaReactivity #ThreatProcessing #MoodDisorders #Depression #BipolarDisorder #FacialExpression #NegativeBias #PsychiatricHospitalization #Neuropsychopharmacology #MentalHealthResearch
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Bonjour, aujourd'hui je ne serai pas présent•e sur Mastodon. Des choses que j'ai lues, adressées à ma personne ou non, m'ont soulé•e. Je souffre de problèmes de santé psychique, j'en parle souvent, alors je n'ai aucune obligation de vous répondre. Désolé•e pour celleux qui attendaient des réponses, mais aujourd'hui peut-être même demain, je me centre sur moi-même.
Je suis actuellement en hôpital, pour un programme de 10 semaines, je sors jeudi prochain, en attendant cela me demande AUSSI du temps et de l'énergie.
Et je dois me concentrer dessus. Ça me demande déjà assez d'énergie et de concentration.
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What is it like to live with extreme hypothyroidism...
I'm trying to stop taking T3 (triiodothyronine - liothyronine), but today, in 20°C weather, I had a rather unpleasant bout of hypothermia. My core temperature (measured at the eardrum) wouldn't go above 35°C, and I had stomach pain and shivering. Autumn is just starting here, and it began with damp and somewhat chilly weather. I don't know if it will be possible for me to stop taking T3 because my thyroid isn't functioning properly, and the conversion of T4 to T3 isn't working well at all. The problem is that a day like this means terrible digestion, extreme fatigue, feeling cold, drowsy, and depressed. I can't concentrate on anything. The main reason I'm trying to stop taking this hormone is primarily the price, and secondly, because it tends to raise my blood sugar and induce hypomanic states (it acts as an antidepressant, which I can't take, because I'm bipolar).
That's my life with autoimmune atrophic thyroiditis (Hashimoto).
#hypothyroidism #hashimoto #autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #diabetes #bipolar #bipolardisorder #thyroid #actuallyautistic #endocrinology #medicine
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CW: My Bipolar Journey | World Bipolar Day
Today is World Bipolar Day, so I thought I would share my journey to a diagnosis and beyond.
I grew up with the shadow of an absent, manic father. His condition was only ever brought up when I acted out of line, used as a way to explain what was "wrong" with me. By the time I was about ten, I was seeing psychiatric professionals and being told I had a "chemical imbalance."
Into my teen years, I knew something wasn't right. I had a lot of rage for no apparent reason. But my step-father decided there was nothing wrong with me and took me off my medication. That led to a dark spiral. I was thrown out of the house, experienced homelessness, and dropped out of school before eventually getting my GED and going to college. For a long time, I was just lost, drifting through a brief marriage and divorce by the time I was 20.
Everything shifted when I met my partner in my late 20s. Even when I was deeply upset and far from kind, she met me with patience and acceptance. She helped me advocate for myself, which led to a real diagnosis: Bipolar 1, characterized by extreme highs of mania and extreme lows. This period in my life I associate with learning empathy and kindness.
Having a name for what I was experiencing changed my life. For a long time, I carried a heavy shame about my diagnosis. It has taken me a decade to finally let that go. The diagnosis explained why I would obsess about some things and then drop them to move on to another subject. Because of my condition, I know a lot about a lot of things because at some point my attention latched on and would not let go of the subject for a while. For instance, I went to college for North American Indian History, but I can tell you a lot about Linux, computers, phones, and numerous other little things.
Since before Covid, I have been on numerous medications. Sometimes I would have to change because a medication was working ok, but I wasn't allowed to go past a limit. Other times, medications would give me terrible side effects, like psychosis.
I have been on my current medication, Seroquel, for about a year now, and it seems to be working well. I know that could change at any time, though, and this dance with different medications will probably go on for the rest of my life.
Typically, the thing that interrupts my mental health is a change to my insurance. It is hard enough for bipolar people to take medication regularly, but when you add interruptions to pharmacy and mental health benefits, it can make it extremely hard to get back into a habit after being knocked out of it. Some of my lowest moments have been when I have lost my healthcare because of an inability to keep a job (due to the illness) and not being able to afford refills or doctor visits.
I tell you all of this hoping that you understand that people aren't just "crazy" and bipolar is not an adjective. Good people are born with and develop these conditions in our brains. No one really completely understands it. The best thing you can ever do for another person is to show them kindness and love. And to anyone out there who is still lost in the dark or struggling with a new diagnosis: your life isn't over. It takes work, and it can be exhausting, but it is absolutely possible to build a beautiful, meaningful life.
#WorldBipolarDay #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAwareness #EndTheStigma #Bipolar1 #MentalHealth #ActuallyBipolar #MentalIllness #MentalHealthMatters
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Living with bipolar disorder: What real-life episodes look like and why awareness matters https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/world-bipolar-day-2026-myths-facts-awareness-mental-health-aiog34wy?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #WorldBipolarDay #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Awareness #EndStigma
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Aspasia was the teacher of Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers in history.
In a similar way, although with the big difference that I am not Socrates, my mother, who barely knew how to write, taught me to read when I was 3 years old.
In the many tests they gave me, they asked me how and why I learned to read at that age. And I answered that I saw children going to school and I wanted to go too, I saw my father reading and wanted to read too. Then I had my appendix removed and to keep me entertained my mother decided to indulge me and teach me my first letters.
A month later I was already reading everything I could find: posters, books, magazines, advertisements.
My father loved to read and bought books, entire encyclopedias. When I was 8 he bought a collection of 60 books and then 40 more books at a used book fair. So, between the ages of 8 and 10, I read those 100 books.
From Borges and Unamuno to Kafka and Poe. I read Papillon, Robinson Crusoe, Trafalgar, Cortázar, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche.
Many of them weren't to my father's liking, but I liked them. One day he threw away a book with Chinese characters, and I rescued it and read it; it was the Dao De Jing.
Then came books on science, physics, biology, and astronomy.
I studied engineering, medicine, philosophy, and programming.
But it wasn't until I was 47 that I learned I was bipolar and gifted, and not until I was 59 that I learned I was autistic.
But if for a moment you might believe that this brought me success and happiness, I'm telling you it didn't. Rather, I had a worldview that made me a misanthrope, a nihilist, a loner, and a pessimist.
#actuallyautistic #gifted #bipolardisorder #neurodivergent #hyperlexia #highiq #misanthropy #nihilism -
If you have autism and bipolar disorder, you're a poor kid with two disabilities.
But if you also have high intellectual abilities, gifted, let's say, then you're a damn arrogant jerk.
What the hell is wrong with those people?
It turns out that anywhere, physical or virtual, where you try to mention that you have a very high IQ but at the same time have a lot of trouble navigating the human world, you will be stoned by an angry mob of ignorant people who overvalue intelligence (and hate and fear it).
Yes, I'm a damn genius at many things, as I'm also level 2 autistic and have a pretty severe mixed bipolar disorder. And all of that with real, official diagnoses that required years of therapy, psychiatrists, hundreds of tests and some hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals.
I have a long list of achievements and professions and an equally long list of failures, illness, and suicide attempts.
I'm now trying to compile information and studies on comorbidities or overlaps of these three things, and if anyone finds anything, please share the link.
Overlap or multiple exceptionality of autism+bipolar+giftedness. I want to delve deeper into this to understand it more thoroughly and refine my personal therapies.
I also have an overlap of autoimmune diseases and metabolic disorders. In other words, it's not an easy matter.
I have been practicing traditional Chinese medicine for almost 40 years and have practiced various martial arts and therapeutic techniques for almost the same amount of time. That's how I've stayed fairly stable for the last 15 years, without psychiatric medication and with very little for thyroid and allergies.
In order to extrapolate the theoretical framework to natural medicine and the methods I use, I need to study much more.And obviously share all of that with people who have similar problems.
#autism #actuallyautistic #bipolardisorder #giftedness #autoimmunedisease #neurology #hashimoto #psoriasis #psoriaticarthritis #inflammatoryboweldisease #diabetes #hashimotoencephalitis
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If I am not mistaken, I had ever read or watched somewhere that exposure to sunrise is a great method to reduce bipolar disorder symptoms.
I remember it has something to do with circadian rhythm.
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I'm not a social person. That is, I'm not a sheep. Many years ago I understood that the social world doesn't work the way I was taught and that the social contract is a lie. So I decide my own value system, what matters and what doesn't, and I break the social contract because the other party doesn't comply; it was just a deception to subjugate and exploit me.
I do not adhere to beliefs or ideologies, nor to cultural trends, tribes or groups with special and superficial preferences.
I don't believe any lies, I have no idols, heroes, no one to follow or emulate. Neither football nor movies or TV series can keep me busy. Social media doesn't fool me either. Nobody here cares about people, only about data and getting attention.
And my personal social relationships consist of a few people and my cats.
And I know very well that nobody cares about what I'm saying and that my criticism will bother them, but I don't care about that either.
I hope these spaces will be a little better someday. But for now, for someone like me, they're of very little use compared to the toxicity one has to endure.
I've been in several battles, even real ones, and I don't mind dying. But I do mind living badly.
#actuallyautistic #gifted #bipolardisorder #society #socialmedia #people -
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Handle Her Mental Health Together
Selena Gomez revealed in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then, the singer and…
#NewsBeep #News #Mentalhealth #AU #Australia #bipolar #bipolardisorder #digital_syndication #Health #MentalHealth #motherhood #SelenaGomez
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/532046/ -
Robert Carradine's Cause of Death: Bipolar Disorder and Suicide
Actor Robert Carradine, known for Lizzie McGuire, died by suicide at 71 after struggling with bipolar disorder. His family confirmed the news on February 23rd.
#RobertCarradine, #BipolarDisorder, #SuicideAwareness, #LizzieMcGuire, #MentalHealth
https://newsletter.tf/robert-carradine-dies-by-suicide-at-71/
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Actor Robert Carradine, famous for his roles in Lizzie McGuire and Revenge of the Nerds, has passed away at 71. His family shared that he died by suicide after a long battle with bipolar disorder.
#RobertCarradine, #BipolarDisorder, #SuicideAwareness, #LizzieMcGuire, #MentalHealth
https://newsletter.tf/robert-carradine-dies-by-suicide-at-71/
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Completely unbeknownst to me, #RobertCarradine, whom I mentioned yesterday, took his own life a couple of weeks ago after battling #bipolardisorder for decades.
I only knew him from #RevengeOfTheNerds, where he played alongside people like #CurtisArmstrong, but looking at some of the tribute wheels, we seemed to be a pretty awesome guy.
Take care of yourselves, folks. #MentalHealth is serious. And in the words of Curtis Armstrong as Booger in #BetterOffDead: Suicide is never the answer, little trooper.
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🅘🅖🅝🅞🅡🅐🅝🅒🅔 is our enemy.
Care, tolerance and understanding are what we seek, and deserve.
#Autism
#ADHD
#AuDHD
#neurodiversity
#neurodivergence
#BPD #schizophrenia #BipolarDisorder #Psychosis ... -
Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire actor, dies aged 71 https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/robert-carradine-dies-aged-71-death-revenge-of-the-nerds-actor #Film #UsNews #Culture #Television #TelevisionRadio #MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Depression
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‘Lifelong friendships were tarnished by my horrible statements’: Kanye West elaborates on apology for antisemitism https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/27/kanye-west-elaborates-on-apology-for-antisemitism-ye #KanyeWest #Music #Culture #UsNews #Antisemitism #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealth
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----> All orders have FREE SHIPPING within Canada ♡#Art #Painting #Paintings #BlackandWhite #minimalism #Minimalist #Canvas #OriginalArt #Abstract #AbstractArt #AbstractPainting #Artist #Artists #Canada #ArtShop #ArtForSale #MastoArt #MastodonArt #Handmade #HomeDecor #Calgary #CanadianArtist #Monochrome #ModernArt #TraditionalArt #YYC #bipolar #BipolarDisorder
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Scientists Discover Neural Basis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder -SciTechDaily.com
Tiny engineered brain models reveal that psychiatric disorders may arise from distinctive disruptions in neural communication rather than obvious structural damage. Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists Discover Neural Basis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
By Roberto Molar Candanosa, Johns Hopkins University, December 20, 2025, 8 Comments,
5 Mins ReadFacebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram, Share
Using lab-grown brain tissue, researchers uncovered complex patterns of neural signaling that differ subtly between healthy brains and those linked to severe psychiatric disorders.
For the first time, scientists have used pea-sized brain organoids grown in the laboratory to uncover how neurons may malfunction in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These psychiatric conditions affect millions of people around the world, yet they remain difficult to diagnose because researchers still lack a clear understanding of their underlying molecular mechanisms.
The results could eventually help clinicians reduce diagnostic uncertainty when treating these and other mental health conditions. At present, such disorders are typically identified through clinical judgment alone, and treatment often relies on lengthy trial-and-error approaches to medication.
A detailed account of the findings was published in the journal APL Bioengineering.
“Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are very hard to diagnose because no particular part of the brain goes off. No specific enzymes are going off like in Parkinson’s, another neurological disease where doctors can diagnose and treat based on dopamine levels even though it still doesn’t have a proper cure,” said Annie Kathuria, a Johns Hopkins University biomedical engineer who led the research. “Our hope is that in the future we can not only confirm a patient is schizophrenic or bipolar from brain organoids, but that we can also start testing drugs on the organoids to find out what drug concentrations might help them get to a healthy state.”
Annie Kathuria. Credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins UniversityMachine learning decodes disease specific signals
Kathuria’s team created the organoids, simplified versions of brain tissue, by reprogramming blood and skin cells from people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and from healthy volunteers into stem cells capable of forming brain-like structures. They then applied machine learning tools to analyze the electrical activity of the organoids’ cells, allowing them to identify neural firing patterns associated with healthy and diseased states. In the human brain, neurons communicate through small electrical signals.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: Scientists Discover Neural Basis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Tags: Annie Kathuria, Biomedical Engineer, Bipolar Disorder, Discover, Health Research, Johns Hopkins University, Mental Health, Neural Basis, Schizophrenia, Scientists, SciTechDaily
#AnnieKathuria #BiomedicalEngineer #BipolarDisorder #Discover #HealthResearch #JohnsHopkinsUniversity #MentalHealth #NeuralBasis #Schizophrenia #Scientists #SciTechDaily -
Please stop using "Bipolar" as an adjective.
Have you ever heard someone say, "Watch out for him today, he's being so bipolar" or "My boss is being so bipolar" or even "I can't decide which shoes to buy, I'm being so bipolar about it"?
While it might seem like a harmless figure of speech, it is actually a form of casual ableism.
Here is why:
1) It trivializes a disability. Bipolar disorder isn't just "changing your mind" or "being moody." While everyone experiences ups and downs, Bipolar disorder involves physiological shifts in energy, sleep, and judgment that are often beyond a person’s control. It is a complex mental health condition involving intense manic and depressive episodes that can impact every aspect of a person’s life.
A manic episode is not just "being happy." It can involve a dangerous loss of touch with reality, racing thoughts, and physical exhaustion. A depressive episode is not just "being sad." It is a debilitating clinical state that can make basic survival feel impossible. When we use the word casually, we erase the immense effort it takes for folks to manage these extremes.
2) It reinforces stigma. Using the diagnosis to describe something "unpredictable" or "annoying" suggests that people with the condition are inherently difficult, "crazy," or erratic. The stereotype forces many people into silence.
The truth is, you likely know someone with bipolar disorder, like a colleague who never misses a deadline, a friend who is a pillar of support, or a family member who is incredibly high-functioning. Because of the way the word is thrown around as an insult, they often have to hide their diagnosis to avoid being judged by tropes you’re using. When you use the word casually, you are telling those people that you view their identity as a negative trait.
3) It erases the reality. When "bipolar" is used as a joke, it creates an environment where people living with the condition feel they can’t be honest about their struggles. If the word is always associated with being "dramatic" or "moody" in your social circle, a person experiencing a genuine crisis will likely stay silent to avoid being seen as a stereotype. It turns a medical necessity into a social risk. When we stop using the word as a punchline, we open the door for real, life-saving conversations. Language is the environment we live in. When we use clinical terms as insults, we make the environment toxic for the people who actually need those terms to describe their lives.
If you learned something new from this post or would like to help spread awareness, please share it. We should work together to make our language more inclusive. Have you ever experienced this kind of ableist language in your daily life? Whether you’ve been the one hearing it or the one who realized they needed to change their vocabulary, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Image: From Gerd-Altmann/Pixabay
#LanguageMatters #EndTheStigma #BreakTheStigma #CasualAbleism #BipolarAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #Ableism #InclusiveLanguage #SelfCare #Psychology #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar #VisibleNonApparent #Neurodiversity
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Mania Insights: AI Listens For Mood Swings In The Voices Of Those With Bipolar Disorder. “A new study from China suggests that artificial intelligence may one day help doctors spot mood swings in people with bipolar disorder just by listening to how they talk. The experimental system correctly identified manic, depressed, and stable states in Mandarin-speaking patients with around 86% […]
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CW: Hospitalization, mental health (+/-), chronic illness
Finally coming off an ~5-day* #hypomanic stretch, which is essentially unheard of since my #MECFS worsened some years ago. One or two days is more typical.
Guess we now know what happens when I can't take my meds for few days.
On the upsides, I felt good for several days, even including having it probably buoy me over the post-hospital #PEM.
There will probably be some post-mania PEM, but it's likely to be lesser.
*I have what I call "rapid-cycling #Bipolar 1.5." It's hypomania, not full mania (Bipolar 1), but lasts longer than Bipolar 2 is "supposed to."\ It's also much more often hypomania than depression, which is good!
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CW: 不专业地研究了一下双相的生物化学机制、针对各个机制现代医学层面的应对方法（GPT辅助）
总体上来说目前的研究或许可以理解为三个方向
(1) 遗传和环境会如何造成易感性
(2) 发作期间大脑内生理/化学是如何失衡的
(3) 前两者的因果关系、从易感到发病的机制（目前因果证据尚不充分，主要是相关性分析为主）
（4）现代医学、心理学层面的应对方法关于研究方法，对于（1）和（2），目前大多是基于已确诊的双相患者进行病例对照式的横断面分析，通过比对基因、生活经历、神经影像、生物标志物等数据，找出一些可能的共同特征。也有部分研究采用任务态fMRI或功能连接分析来进一步细化不同状态下的大脑功能差异。而关于（3），研究相对更少，主要依赖于对高风险人群的纵向追踪（如有家族史的青少年或出现轻躁症状的个体），结合多模态数据进行建模，尝试建立从易感性到发病之间的变化路径，这个方向因果推断目前还相对弱。
（以下内容有些是GPT生成、后续我进行了事实校验和修改，但可能还是有一些错误）
【双相期间大脑内生理/化学是如何失衡的】
发作期间的失衡主要集中在（1）神经递质系统的功能紊乱（2）神经营养因子水平变化（如BDNF）（3）HPA轴与应激反应异常（4）脑区功能连接失衡（前额叶-杏仁核）（5）昼夜节律的紊乱
「神经递质系统的功能紊乱」
* 躁期：多巴胺、谷氨酸、去甲肾上腺素等系统在部分脑区（如奖赏中枢）活性升高 → 动能强、冲动多、睡眠少
* 抑郁期：去甲肾上腺素、血清素等调节系统功能相对减弱（可能与受体敏感性、转运机制相关）→ 情绪低落、动机缺失「神经营养因子BDNF变化」
* 发作期间BDNF水平往往下降（可能是状态标志物） → 神经突触可塑性下降
（BDNF是否是状态标志物存在争议）
* 情绪调节系统的神经环路适应能力下降 → 更易进入极端情绪状态（具体因果机制尚不明确）「HPA轴与应激反应异常」
* 慢性应激 → HPA轴过度激活 → 皮质醇节律异常
* 长期激活可能与海马体功能下降有关 → 情绪恢复力减弱（部分研究提示结构体积变化）「脑区功能连接失衡」
* 杏仁核过度活跃 + 前额叶皮层调控减弱
* 导致情绪反应放大，自控力下降 → 冲动、攻击、反复自责等症状加剧「昼夜节律紊乱」
* CLOCK、BMAL1等节律基因表达异常 → 内源性生理节律紊乱
* 可能通过影响褪黑素/皮质醇分泌周期 → 睡眠障碍与情绪周期化（如躁/抑快速交替）【遗传和环境会如何造成易感性、和前者的因果关系】
下文主要包括的部分
（1）基因突变/表达异常如何导致BD易感性增加
（2）早期环境可能会如何影响双相相关的大脑调节，让情绪易激惹、恢复能力下降
（3）遗传环境共同作用于一些因素、导致双相易感性1. 一些基因突变或异常表达（如TLR3、LINC02449、CACNA1C、CLOCK、BDNF、ANK3基因）
→ 基因调控异常（如DNA甲基化改变）
→ 影响突触传递、神经发育与行为调节 → 情绪调节网络基础薄弱2. 早期环境应激（如童年创伤）可能会导致
→ HPA轴长期过度激活（皮质醇↑）
→ 神经毒性增强、神经可塑性下降，部分个体中海马体功能受损
→ 情绪易激惹 + 情绪恢复能力下降（与慢性应激适应性降低有关）3. 基因易感 / 环境应激可能共同影响多个系统，包括线粒体功能、神经营养、节律基因和神经递质调节机制：
「线粒体功能变化」
→ 线粒体ATP合成效率下降（在部分双相患者中观察到）
→ 神经元能量供应不足 + 自由基累积（ROS↑）
→ 神经突触活动效率下降
→ 情绪调节能力可能受限，特别在应激情境下（机制仍在研究中）「神经营养因子BDNF下降」
* 与神经元新生、突触形成减少有相关性
* 可影响海马体 - 前额叶皮层 - 杏仁核通路的可塑性
* 情绪调节、记忆、冲动控制可能因此受损
（也有观点认为情绪紊乱可反过来抑制BDNF）「昼夜节律紊乱」
* 节律基因表达紊乱 → 褪黑素 / 皮质醇昼夜节律异常
* 导致睡眠剥夺 + 情绪节律失调
* 易于发生从抑郁到躁狂的快速转换 → 快速循环或混合发作风险增加「神经递质调节异常」
* 特定脑区多巴胺活性↑（躁狂） / 去甲肾上腺素活性↓（抑郁）
* 情绪驱动系统出现波动 → 情绪极端化 + 行为不稳定
* 部分研究指出递质失调可能受基因+应激交互影响「神经环路功能变化」
* 杏仁核-前额叶皮层连接功能减弱
* 情绪处理系统反应过强，自我控制能力下降
* 可能表现为易怒 / 冲动 / 冲动决策 / 自杀风险增加
（但这些功能变化也可能与早发、发作频率、神经营养下降或炎症状态本身相关）【调节机制以及现代医学、心理学方法的作用对象】
1. 神经递质失衡（多巴胺↑、5-HT↓ 等）
* 调节方式：情绪稳定剂、抗精神病药、抗抑郁药
* 机制：调节递质释放与受体敏感性，平衡情绪驱动2. BDNF下降（神经营养因子减少）
* 调节方式：锂盐、抗抑郁药、有氧运动、心理干预
* 机制：促进突触可塑性与神经保护，提高情绪调节能力3. 炎症激活（如IL-6↑、TNF-α↑）
* 调节方式：锂、ω-3脂肪酸、部分抗精神病药
* 机制：降低神经炎症水平，减缓突触损伤4. 线粒体功能障碍（能量代谢↓）
* 调节方式：锂、NAC、辅酶Q10（实验中）
* 机制：改善神经元能量供应，降低氧化应激5. 昼夜节律紊乱（褪黑素/皮质醇节律异常）
* 调节方式：锂、褪黑素补充、规律作息、光照疗法
* 机制：重设生物钟，稳定情绪波动周期6. HPA轴激活（应激反应过强）
* 调节方式：正念疗法、米氮平、情绪调节训练
* 机制：降低皮质醇水平，增强情绪恢复能力7. 脑区连接异常（前额叶-杏仁核通路）
* 调节方式：锂、CBT、经颅磁刺激（TMS）
* 机制：增强自我控制系统对情绪中心的调节作用最常用的两种方法，锂被认为可以作用于除了HPA激活以外的环节，心理谈话治疗可以作用于增加神经营养因子、HPA激活和脑区链接异常。
【参考】
* Cai et al. (2025). Spatiotemporal dynamics in bipolar disorder. Molecular Psychiatry.
* Yang et al. (2025). LINC02449 expression and synaptic dysfunction in BD. Nature Communications.
* Oliveira et al. (2025). Biological rhythms disruption in latent bipolar disorder. Springer.
* Aflouk et al. (2026). TLR3 polymorphisms and BD. Molecular Biology Reports.
* Mezzomo et al. (2025). Metabolomics in stress-related disorders. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol.
* ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group (2025). Childhood trauma, brain morphology and BD. medRxiv.
* Cochran et al. (2025). Modeling mood dynamics in bipolar disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports.
* HC Kim (2025). Mitochondrial dysfunction in BD and metabolic disorders. KoreaMed.
* Freudenberg F. (2026). Nitric oxide’s role in mood disorders. Biol Psychiatry Global Open Science.
* Ghaemi et al. (2003). Antidepressants and rapid cycling. Am J Psychiatry. -
CW: 关于德国公保内精神科诊断流程的个人经验（双相+ASD+CPTSD） 、ASD 诊断流程和渠道
关于如何在公保内获得治疗和支持、找心理治疗师和精神科医师、住院请参考https://alive.bar/@cataire/115340975957278401
下文主要是关于，其一，德国公保内获得精神科诊断的个人经验（危机干预-住院-PIA-重新住院这个渠道），其二，德国ASD的诊断渠道和流程，其三，关于锂盐的补充说明。
【个人经验】
我第一次住院的诊断是重度抑郁发作，当时入院的时候全科医生记录症状、经过一次和主治医师+直接负责的住院医师的会谈，暂定了诊断代码。
但出院之后因为两种不同的抗抑郁药转了两次轻躁狂/躁狂。因此，我在被要求第二次住院的时候，提出希望进行完整的诊断。在封闭病房能够进行的评估范围包括人格障碍、情感障碍、精神分裂谱系和强迫症等。
个人经历的诊断流程如下：首先，在医院负责的住院医师、心理师记录怀疑和症状决定进一步诊断的范围；之后按要求填了一些问卷，进行了一小时结构化访谈（抑郁、躁狂、精分谱系、OCD、ASD），又同时做了神经科检查和MRI排除神经疾病和脑部器质疾病之后，住院医师约谈会告诉本人怀疑的诊断。
当时我被怀疑可能存在双相、PTSD和ASD，双相的诊断会在撤掉抗抑郁药后的观察期给出，同时我询问心理师可以不可以进行CPTSD的诊断，为此同样进行了结构化访谈和ITQ问卷。
但院区本身不具备进行完整 ASD 诊断的资质。由于该院区隶属于大学医院，主院具备 ASD 诊断资格，因此我被转介至自闭症门诊进行进一步评估。转介后一周内，我获得了两周后的初次会谈。
【ASD诊断流程】
总体而言，德国的 ASD 诊断途径主要包括大学医院与个体精神科医师（官方承认的ASD 诊断只能由具备资质的精神科医师出具）。具备诊断资质的机构和医生列表参见
https://aspies.de/adressen-anlaufstellen/fachkraefte-diagnosetheraphie/de/
柏林四机构联合等候名单参见
https://www.psychology.hu-berlin.de/de/praxis/ambulanz/spezialambulanz-fuer-soziale-interaktion/behandlungsangebot/informationen-zum-anmeldungsverfahren具体流程可参考
https://psychiatrie.charite.de/behandlungsangebot/ambulanzbereich/ambulanz_fuer_autismus_spektrum_stoerung
不同机构的步骤大体一致：初筛后进入等候名单，随后会联系【初次会谈】以核实怀疑是否成立；若初步判断被确认，则进入两轮【正式诊断】，并在最后进行【结果汇总与反馈】。以下是对引用流程部分的翻译和总结。
【初次会谈】
• 核实发展史、现状与临床表现
• 判断 ASD 怀疑是否成立
• 决定是否进入正式诊断阶段【正式诊断】
第 1 次预约：ASD 核心诊断
• FSK（社会沟通问卷）
• ADI-R（自闭症诊断访谈修订版）——结构化访谈
• ADOS（自闭症诊断观察量表）——基于情境任务的观察第 2 次预约（如需要）：排除性诊断 + 神经心理评估
• 排查其他精神科疾病
• 注意力、执行功能等神经心理测试
• 其他必要的补充性检查【最终汇总与反馈：诊断结论 + 治疗建议】
在问卷、访谈、观察与神经心理测试全部完成后，团队整合所有结果，并在终次会谈中提供：
• 诊断结论（含 ASD 是否成立）
• 个体化的治疗与支持建议
• 可能的后续资源、心理治疗方向及社保相关信息（P.S. 或许可以在这里提及一下，一般精神科药物可以由GP管理，但是因为锂盐治疗窗口的问题，个人经验是GP会倾向于认为自己无法管理锂盐，所以使用锂盐的朋友可以询问一下医院MVZ或者PIA部门要求GP转介，如果找不到只能找个体精神科医师了）
@board @runrunrun @asd @mentalhelp
#autism #BipolarDisorder #德国 -
CW: 关于德国公保内精神科诊断/变更的个人经验（双相+ASD+CPTSD）、ASD诊断流程和渠道
关于如何在公保内获得治疗和支持、找心理治疗师和精神科医师、住院请参考https://alive.bar/@cataire/115340975957278401
我第一次住院的诊断是重度抑郁发作，但是出院之后因为两种不同的抗抑郁药转了两次轻躁狂/躁狂。因此，我在被要求第二次住院的时候，提出希望进行完整的诊断。在封闭病房能够进行的评估范围包括人格障碍、情感障碍、精神分裂谱系和强迫症等。
个人经历的诊断流程如下：首先，在医院负责的住院医师、心理师记录怀疑和症状决定进一步诊断的范围；之后按要求填了一些问卷，进行了一小时结构化访谈（抑郁、躁狂、精分谱系、OCD），又同时做了神经科检查和MRI排除神经疾病和脑部器质疾病之后，住院医师约谈会告诉本人怀疑的诊断。
当时我被怀疑可能存在双相、PTSD和ASD，双相的诊断会在撤掉抗抑郁药后的观察期给出，同时我询问心理师可以不可以进行CPTSD的诊断，为此同样进行了结构化访谈和ITQ问卷。
但院区本身不具备进行完整 ASD 诊断的资质。由于该院区隶属于大学医院，主院具备 ASD 诊断资格，因此我被转介至自闭症门诊进行进一步评估。转介后一周内，我获得了两周后的初次会谈。这是我在公保体系内获得诊断渠道的大致流程。
总体而言，德国的 ASD 诊断途径主要包括大学医院与个体精神科医师（官方承认的ASD 诊断只能由具备资质的精神科医师出具）。具备诊断资质的机构和医生列表参见
https://aspies.de/adressen-anlaufstellen/fachkraefte-diagnosetheraphie/de/
柏林四机构联合等候名单参见
https://www.psychology.hu-berlin.de/de/praxis/ambulanz/spezialambulanz-fuer-soziale-interaktion/behandlungsangebot/informationen-zum-anmeldungsverfahren具体流程可参考
https://psychiatrie.charite.de/behandlungsangebot/ambulanzbereich/ambulanz_fuer_autismus_spektrum_stoerung
不同机构的步骤大体一致：初筛后进入等候名单，随后会联系【初次会谈】以核实怀疑是否成立；若初步判断被确认，则进入两轮【正式诊断】，并在最后进行结果汇总与反馈。以下是对引用流程部分的翻译和总结。
【初次会谈】
• 核实发展史、现状与临床表现
• 判断 ASD 怀疑是否成立
• 决定是否进入正式诊断阶段【正式诊断】
第 1 次预约：ASD 核心诊断
• FSK（社会沟通问卷）
• ADI-R（自闭症诊断访谈修订版）——结构化访谈
• ADOS（自闭症诊断观察量表）——基于情境任务的观察第 2 次预约（如需要）：排除性诊断 + 神经心理评估
• 排查其他精神科疾病
• 注意力、执行功能等神经心理测试
• 其他必要的补充性检查【最终汇总与反馈：诊断结论 + 治疗建议】
在问卷、访谈、观察与神经心理测试全部完成后，团队整合所有结果，并在终次会谈中提供：
• 诊断结论（含 ASD 是否成立）
• 个体化的治疗与支持建议
• 可能的后续资源、心理治疗方向及社保相关信息（P.S. 或许可以在这里提及一下，一般精神科药物可以由GP管理，但是因为锂盐治疗窗口的问题，个人经验是GP会倾向于认为自己无法管理锂盐，所以使用锂盐的朋友可以询问一下医院MVZ或者PIA部门要求GP转介，如果找不到只能找个体精神科医师了）
-
Yesterday I had a really bad day. I had an extreme bout of intestinal inflammation, a spike in antibodies, and hypomania with aggression. I slept very little and poorly last night, and this morning I had hallucinations.
This is what my life can be like sometimes, when the complications of three autoimmune diseases, bipolar syndrome, autism, and food intolerances come together.
:aaaa: :abe:
#autoimmune #AutoimmuneDiseases #bipolar #bipolardisorder #actuallyautistic -
Optimism isn't just a feeling
It's a strategy.
Use it to find the lesson and the opportunity in any challenge you face.
#MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Optimism
https://bit.ly/3L9gQNd -
- If I tell you I have bipolar syndrome, you'd think I'm crazy.
- If I tell you I'm autistic, you'd think I'm retarded.
- If I tell you I have a high IQ, you'd think I'm arrogant and conceited.
I don't need you to tell me anything to realize what you are...
#actuallyautistic #autism #bipolardisorder #giftedness #neurodivergent
-
From darkness to resilience — I share my personal journey through Manic Depression Disorder (MDD), the highs, the lows, and the power of seeking therapy. Listen to the new episode & read the full article. 🎧💡 #MentalHealth #Resilience #BipolarDisorder #Therapy #Leadership #TheResilientPhilosopher
-
Reading #1
In my personal experience, when psychiatrists don't know me or their other patients well, they will resort to throwing darts in the dark. As though we are human guinea pigs for them to trial and error their so-called 'treatment' on. This way we, their 'patients' (a euphemism for H.G.P.) , are not a burden to them anymore, or the system. They see us not as people, but as liabilities, first and foremost.'We tried this, that and the third..., let's try the other one, varying dosages, see me in 2 weeks... no wait my calendar is full.. see me in 2 months...(you'll be fine, right?) let's prescribe a cocktail of medications, the trifecta - mood stabilizer, anti-depressant, anti-psychotic. and additional meds to help 'manage' the side effects.' So on a scale of 1 to 10, how's your sleep, mood, energy.... this way I can 'measure' and gauge your well-being without actually having to talk to you"
-Those led astray
#MentalHealth
#BipolarDisorder
#HealthCare
#Ontario
#Canada