Biographer Robin D. G. Kelley describes jazz legend Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) as “striving for something startling and memorable, and never being afraid to make mistakes” in Thelonious Monk, The Life and Times of an American Original. Monk’s largely self-taught piano style was a unique blend of stride and bebop. He also composed several jazz standards, including “Blue Monk,” “’Round Midnight,” and “Straight No Chaser.” Like too many of his generation, Monk struggled for years with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Although Monk was finally diagnosed in 1972,...

Actress Linda Hamilton speaks about her struggles with bipolar disorder, and tells loved ones how important patience and understanding are in dealing with a bipolar person’s manic and depressive episodes. Our hope with the Bipolar Bear App is to help more people become aware of bipolar disorder in a lighthearted way, so they’re not so fearful or intimidated if they discover that someone they know has the disorder. We think Linda Hamilton is a great spokesperson for people who are living with bipolar disorder and wish her all the best. Hat tip: Working Toward...

Bipolar Bear App congratulates Jack Owens, a Virginia high school hockey player who has overcome great physical and mental obstacles-including bipolar disorder–to become a valued member of his team. He now hopes that his greatest contributions come off the ice. Because of his experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Jack is studying psychology in class and helps counsel kids his own age who are going through similar issues. “I know that I can save somebody a lot of trouble and a lot of harsh feelings,” Owens said. “I don’t want anybody to be as...

Professor Wayne Drevets discusses the amygdala, striatum, and prefrontal cortex as neural correlates of bipolar disorder. Our goal with the Bipolar Bear App is to help mental health charities support further research into bipolar disorder and the neurological and biochemical causes. youtube.com Via: Google Videos – bipolar...

The number of children being diagnosed with bipolar disorder has increased dramatically over the past several years. In 1995, for example, the estimated youth bipolar office visits was 25 per 100,000. That figure jumped to 1003 visits per 100,000 by 2003. As The American Psychiatric Association revises its diagnostic manual, the organization has created a new category called called Temper Dysregulation Disorder (TDD), an alternative diagnosis for some children who are currently being diagnosed with bipolar...

(Philadelphia, February 4, 2010-WebNewsWire.com) Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect tens of millions of individuals around the world. These disorders have a typical onset in the early twenties and in most cases have a chronic or recurring course. Neither disorder has an objective biological marker than can be used to make diagnoses or to guide treatment. Findings in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier suggest that electroretinography (ERG), a specialized measure of retinal function might be a useful biomarker of risk for these disorders, and retinal deficits may...

When you buy the Bipolar Bear app, 30% of net proceeds will be donated to one of the following non-profit organizations, based on votes from our monthly poll: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Mental Health America NARSAD: The Brain and Behavior Research Fund NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness TGen Foundation While there are countless organizations working in the mental health field, we chose to support these organizations because they are national in scope, provide services and/or research that directly impacts large...

As a marketing and PR consultant, I end up working in a lot of industries, for a lot of different clients. While it’s sometimes challenging to get excited about a new industrial process, it’s really, really easy for me to promote the Bipolar Bear iPhone App. First off, it’s dang funny. If you appreciate goofball Apps, Bipolar Bear is perfect for you. But more importantly, the Bipolar Bear iPhone App helps raise money for bipolar disorder support and research. And that means a lot to me, because one of my relatives suffered with bipolar disorder for most of her life. It...