International Society for Bipolar Disorders

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders, also known as ISBD, is a non-profit organization focusing on research and education in bipolar disorders and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The Society draws its expertise from its professional membership, which now represents 50 countries and welcomes patients, family members and allied healthcare professionals and organizations to join its membership ranks. The Society hosts a professional meeting and offers a range of educational programs that support its mission. Please read on for details.

Mission To provide a forum to foster ongoing international collaboration on education and research with the intent to advance the treatment of all aspects of bipolar disorders thereby resulting in improvements in outcomes and quality of life for those with bipolar disorder and their family members.

Website: www.isbd.org [1]

History The International Society for Bipolar Disorders was launched at the 3rd International Conference on Bipolar Disorder, in Pittsburgh, PA, June 17, 1999 with David J. Kupfer, M.D., Founding President and Thomas Detre Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Material distributed to all of the delegates at the conference contained an invitation letter and an enrollment form.

The first issue (September, 1999) of Bipolar Disorders - An International Journal of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, which is the official journal of the Society, contained a similar enrollment form. The journal was accepted into the Institute for Scientific Indexing in 2000 and into Medline and Index Medicus in 2001 and has continued to perform well in ranking by impact factor with other peer reviewed psychiatric publications, reaching as high as 11th out of 94 in 2005.

The ISBD held its first meeting in Sydney Australia in February of 2004 with over 400 delegates in attendance. The Society held it second meeting in August 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland with over 600 attendees.

The Society currently has over 725 members with an elected board representing 10 countries and is experiencing steady growth. The ISBD is a major source for emerging research and clinical data on bipolar disorders and is the only bipolar focused, research-oriented Society working to bring this data to patients, families and other mental health professionals working on the front lines of bipolar care.

Membership Benefits

Along with various research and networking opportunities, members are entitled to various benefits. Professional level members are entitled to:

• A one-year print and online subscription to Bipolar Disorders - An International Journal of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, the only peer reviewed scientific journal focusing solely on bipolar disorders. The journal is published bimonthly and features research of relevance for the basic mechanisms, clinical aspects and treatment of bipolar disorder.

• A one year subscription to the ISBD Global, the society's quarterly newsletter and a valuable resource for society news and features of interest to bipolar patients, their families, primary care physicians and other mental health professionals.

• Access to the Members' Section of the ISBD website, which includes a Job Bank, Member Directory, Forum for discussion, and much more.

• A significant discount on registration fees to various conferences, including the biennial International Conference on Bipolar Disorder in Pittsburgh, PA.

• Participation in ISBD Regional Affiliated Groups around the world.

• Eligibility to vote in ISBD elections, bylaw revisions and issues concerning membership and to run for office.

Various membership categories are offered by the ISBD, including levels designed for psychiatric trainees as well as patients and their families.

Educational Programs

A) The Psychiatric Trainee Support program offers psychiatric trainees a complimentary two-year membership in the Society in order to enhance knowledge of bipolar disorder among this group, narrow the gap between bipolar research and clinical practice, and ultimately to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for patients with bipolar disorder. These supported memberships are open to psychiatric residents, postgraduate students and junior faculty up to the Assistant Professor or equivalent level with less than five years as faculty in their career trajectory. We seek to support 70% of trainees from developing countries in keeping with the Society’s expanded mission to assist trainees in underserved countries.

B) The Samuel Gershon Awards for Junior Investigators, named in honor of Dr. Samuel Gershon, past ISBD President and pioneer of early lithium research, offer 4 awards for original research submissions. Awards are based on the originality of the content, as well as the significance of the findings reported, and are evaluated by an international scientific panel under the auspices of the ISBD. These awards are open to psychiatric trainees, postgraduate students and junior faculty up to the Assistant Professor rank from around the world. The awards are presented in conjunction with the Society’s biennial meeting were the winners present their research in a special session showcasing the work of junior people in the field.

C) The ISBD Research Fellowship for Junior Investigators provides an opportunity for the recipient to travel to another facility to get training in a particular type of research methodology (i.e. brain imaging, genetics, clinical trials, etc.). The Fellowship is intended to cover up to 6 months support for salary, travel, or some combination of these costs as they are incurred in pursuit of additional training. This could take the form of various summer programs, participation in smaller prospective studies, or through some other opportunity which will provide the requisite skill to enhance the investigator’s knowledge in the selected research methodology and address a specific research question.

Conference

The 3rd Biennial Conference of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders will be held in India in January 2008. Future conferences will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2010 and Istanbul, Turkey in 2012. The conference features plenary and parallel sessions, rapid communications, and an advocacy session and provides updates on topics such as epidemiology, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapies, genetics and neurobiology, imaging research, and bipolar disorder in special populations. The meeting also serves as a forum for the ISBD membership meeting and a venue for the Society’s awards presentations.

Educational Resources for Members

The ISBD Global is the official quarterly newsletter of the ISBD and a valuable resource for consumers and professionals alike. The Global features Society updates, a calendar of events, book reviews, regional chapter updates and events, original research of ISBD trainees, and original articles by ISBD members. The Global is a vehicle used to bridge the gap between consumers and professionals, allowing all ISBD members to contribute and comment on various topics of interest.

Bipolar Disorders – An International Journal of Psychiatric and Neurosciences is the official journal of the Society. Since its inception in 1999, the Journal has made an enormous impact on the biological psychiatry community and continues to be a valuable resource for authors and researchers alike.

Bipolar Disorders: Understanding the Full Spectrum is an educational video (available in VHS only) released in 2003 by the ISBD. The piece provides an insightful look into the world of bipolar disorder as seen through the eyes of patients, their families, as well as medical professionals. A new version of this video, complete with recent interviews and updated information will be released on DVD in late fall of 2007. (Running time approximately 20 minutes.)

Category:psychology Category:cognition Category:suicide Category:mental health organizations Category:mental health professionals Category:psychiatry Category:psychology organizations Category:psychology societies Category:child and adolescent psychiatry

International Society for Bipolar Disorders * [2]

Bipolar Disorders - An International Journal of Psychiatric Neurosciences * [3]