PITTSBURGH, June 5 The International Conference on Bipolar Disorder, held every two years, is the only venue in the world devoted exclusively to highlighting new research into understanding bipolar disorder, which affects both adults and children, devastates families, accounts for nearly half of all suicides in the United States, and costs billions of dollars in medical bills, missed work and lower productivity each year.
The Seventh Conference will be held June 7-9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, and is being sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
To accommodate media, a press room will be located in Rooms 310-311 of the Convention Center and will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, June 7, and Friday, June 8. The phone number in the press room will be (412) 325-6051. A press briefing will be held each day and will cover the following topics and research findings. Reporters wishing to participate in press briefings via telephone conference call should dial 800-860-2442 and reference the bipolar briefing. International participants should dial (412) 858-4600.
12:15 p.m., Thursday, June 7
Understanding Bipolar Disorder: New Tools As in most other medical conditions, genetics and imaging play a vital role in understanding this disease and in providing promising solutions to diagnosis and treatment. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institute of Mental Health will discuss their latest findings in identifying changes in the brain chemistry linked to bipolar disorder and using neuroimaging to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder.
1:15 p.m., Friday, June 8
Comorbidities of Bipolar Disorder: Causes and Impact More often than not, a person with bipolar disorder w
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Contact: Jocelyn Uhl Duffy
UhlJH@upmc.edu
412-647-3555
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
5-Jun-2007