Bipolar and depressive disorders

Problem

Bipolar and depressive disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect almost 10% of the population at some point in their lives. Our group takes an expert approach to bipolar disorder and depressive disorders, these being prevalent and complex pathologies that require in-depth knowledge of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy.

Approach

The group’s research is highly translational. That is to say, it is geared towards a better understanding of bipolar and depressive disorders and corresponding improvements in clinical practice. It employs a multidisciplinary approach, both to patient care and to teaching and research, and it investigates the neurobiological and anatomical-functional mechanisms that are involved in the clinical development and progression of these conditions, comorbidity (co-occurrence with other conditions), intervening neurocognitive mechanisms and the quest for new pharmacological, biophysical and psychosocial treatments.

Impact

The group has contributed to increasing the availability of new drugs for bipolar and depressive disorders, by designing and conducting clinical trials that have facilitated the introduction of new approaches to the pharmacological treatment of these diseases.

It has demonstrated the efficacy of psychoeducation combined with medications as the standard treatment for bipolar disorder, as recognised by international therapeutic guides. It has also contributed to the identification of patterns of neurocognitive deterioration and their neuroimaging correlates in depression and bipolar disorder.