Renowned Psychiatrists from UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar meet in Dubai to discuss the burden of ‘Bipolar disorders'

Bipolar disorder affects 30 million people worldwide including over four million people in Europe 

Dubai, April 28th, 2014: Doctors from across UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain met at the ‘Gulf Experts Panel Meeting’ in Dubai, UAE. The event was organized by Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company that treats people living with brain diseases and central nervous system disorders. The event was held at The Oberoi Hotel in Dubai. Bipolar disorder affects 30 million people worldwide including over four million people in Europe and it is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide.
Dr. Roger S. McIntyre, MD, FRCPC was the key speaker who had flown in from Canada for this conference. Dr. McIntyre is also the co-chair of the Canadian Network for
Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT).
Doctors from UAE Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD), Ministry of Health from Kuwait, Hamad Medical Corporation from
Qatar and Ministry of Health Bahrain attended this meeting organized by Lundbeck.
The average age of onset of bipolar disorder is 25 years . It's rare that newly diagnosed mania is seen in children or in adults over age 65. Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive disorder) is a chronic, episodic illness so named because sufferers alternate between two poles of extreme moods - mania (which may include symptoms such as episodes of elevated moods, extreme irritability, decreased sleep and increased energy) and depression (which may include overwhelming feelings of sadness and suicidal thoughts), or a combination of both .

“We wanted to bring together doctors from this field to understand their viewpoint with a specific focus on the GCC region.  Like with other mood disorders, what causes bipolar disorder is unknown. What is known is that bipolar disorder sometimes has a genetic component and can run in families. Bipolar I disorder, a subset of bipolar disorder, is a complex form of illness because sufferers experience intermittent mood episodes of two extreme poles mania or depression or a combination of both states. There are thousands of cases where people with bipolar disorders don’t get the right treatment or are not diagnosed correctly. Due to the complex nature of this illness the mood disorders can be hard to pinpoint in such people,” said Mr. Emad Wageeh, Sales and Marketing Manager – Lundbeck Gulf.

Marked by relapses and remissions, bipolar disorder has a high rate of recurrence if left untreated. Patients with severe mania usually require timely treatment and hospitalization to keep them from risky behaviors. Those who are severely depressed also might need hospitalization to keep them from acting on suicidal thoughts or psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking) .

Lundbeck  had also conducted a detailed ‘Bipolar Study’ involving 700 participants aged 18-65 who had been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder for 12 months or more. The study was conducted in the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Australia.