Worldwide Bipolar Disorder Study Reveals Interesting Brain Region Differences

(Newswire.net — June 17, 2020) Winnetka, IL — Doctors warn against the increasing prevalence of bipolar disorder, which occurs in approximately 2.3 million people in the U.S. It is further worth mentioning that this equates to 1 percent of the American population.

It is important to keep in mind that the top cause of premature death among individuals with bipolar is suicide.

The good news is that according to the National Advisory Mental Health Council, the treatment success rate for bipolar disorder is a remarkable 80 percent.

Due to the unstoppably increasing rates of bipolar, more and more researchers are carrying out studies to look into the best possible ways to learn more about this mental health issue.

A study was carried out and published in the Molecular Psychiatry. 

In this largest MRI study involving sufferers of bipolar disorder, it has been found that the subjects had differences in the brain regions that control inhibition and emotion. More particularly, the investigators consider them as brain abnormalities. 

According to Ole A. Andreassen, senior author of the study, they created the first global map of bipolar disorder and how it affects the brain, resolving years of uncertainty on how people’s brains differ when they have this severe illness.

Andreassen is a professor at the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT) at the University of Oslo.

Statistics warn that bipolar disorder affects 1 to 3 percent of the adult population on a global scale. It is important to realize that it is a psychiatric disorder that could produce serious implications for sufferers and their families.

Among individuals with this mental health issue, suicide is the top cause of premature death. Experts continue to carry out studies to learn more about how its rates can be reduced.

It is worth noting that in some studies, it has been found an Ayurvedic herb like ashwagandha has shown promise in fighting this condition.

One study carried out in the University of Pittsburgh’s Western Psychiatric Institute has shown that treatment of ashwagandha was helpful in subjects diagnosed with bipolar disorder. More particularly, the subjects achieved significant improvements in auditory-verbal working memory, reaction time and social cognition.

Another study, which was published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatric Medicine, has shown that ashwagandha treatment led to a reduction in stress by 44 percent. It also resulted in decreases in anxiety and insomnia by 68 percent and severe depression by 79 percent.

It is worth mentioning that both depression and anxiety are hallmarks of bipolar disorder. The therapeutic benefits of this herb may be obtained through the use of formulas like NutraHerbals Ashwagandha (amazon.com/organic-ashwagandha-root-powder/dp/B01GZALWGO).