Media Release |
May 25, 2004
New Centre Promises Better Treatments for Depression, Bipolar
Disorder
Imagine suffering frequent, extreme and disabling mood swings
that won’t go away despite years of different treatments
and diagnoses.
This is a common scenario for people with bipolar disorder,
one of the illnesses that will be studied and treated at the
new Mood Disorders Centre of Excellence at UBC Hospital, part
of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI).
“The facility will offer research and patient care
with a ‘bench to bedside’ approach, focusing on
rapid translation of research into improved care,” says
Dr. Alison Buchan, associate dean, Research, UBC Faculty of
Medicine.
“Co-ordinating mood disorder research in B.C. will
help us recruit faculty to this outstanding multidisciplinary
team,” adds Dr. Bernie Bressler, VCHRI director.
Directed by Dr. Raymond Lam, a UBC professor of psychiatry
and a key investigator with VCHRI, the Mood Disorders Centre
has received approximately $4.5 million in new research funding
from community support. Its two program streams -- the best
integrated clinical research programs of their kind in Canada
-- are the Bipolar Disorder Program and the BC Credit Union
Centre for Excellence in Depression Research and Care.
The depression centre is supported by a gift of more than
$1 million to VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation from BC Credit
Unions that will provide for additional researcher positions
to expand the reach of the centre. New programs of treatment
include ReChORD (Relief of Chronic or Resistant Depression)
that uses an integrated and comprehensive approach, including
expert medication management, psychotherapy, and occupational
therapy.
“Credit Unions have a strong history of community
involvement and forward-looking giving. As we began to truly
understand the devastation of the disease of depression, we
felt we had to become involved,” says Wayne Nygren,
BC Credit Union president and CEO. “It is our hope and
desire that the leading-edge research that will be conducted
at the Centre will offer enhanced treatments for individuals
and families coping with depression.”
A key element of the Bipolar Disorder Program is an early
mania treatment program that is the most comprehensive in
the world. Called Systematic Treatment Optimization Program
in Early Mania (STOP-EM), it is made possible through unrestricted
funding of $1.5 million from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca
Canada Inc.
“STOP-EM is an innovative program that will help persons
with bipolar disorder cope with their condition early on,”
says Karen Burke, vice-president, medical affairs, AstraZeneca
Canada Inc. “We're proud to be involved in an initiative
that will be so beneficial to patients, caregivers and healthcare
professionals.”
STOP-EM will provide early and accurate identification and
diagnosis, using comprehensive clinical assessment as well
as neuropsychology and neuroimaging approaches. Treatment
will include pharmacological and psychosocial therapies.
“Patients, especially young adults, with bipolar disorder
often suffer for years without correct diagnosis or treatment.
We want to increase chances of improvement and recovery by
diagnosing and treating individuals soon after their first
manic episode,” says UBC professor of psychiatry Dr.
Lakshmi Yatham, a VCHRI researcher and world leader in bipolar
treatment who will oversee the program.
Patients aged 14 and older with a current or recent first
manic episode can be referred to the program for assessment,
treatment and optional participation in the research component
of STOP-EM. Researchers will assess social and intellectual
functioning, brain structure and chemistry and provide genetic
testing.
AstraZeneca is a leading global pharmaceutical company with
an extensive product portfolio spanning six major therapeutic
areas: cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience,
oncology, and respiratory. The company was ranked as one of
the top 50 employers in Canada by The Globe and Mail Report
on Business Magazine.
The BC credit union system is the largest network of financial
institutions in the province with 61 credit unions with 340
branches in 125 communities, employing 7,000 people. In 2002,
BC credit unions poured $10.9 million into local communities
through charitable contributions.
VCHRI is a joint venture between UBC and Vancouver Coastal
Health that promotes development of new researchers and research
activity.
The VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation is a registered charity
that raises funds for equipment, patient care programs, and
medical research for VGH and UBC Hospital. The Foundation
seeks to build partnerships with community organizations,
corporations and people who share a commitment to quality
health care in B.C. Donation enquiries can be directed to
604.875.4676.
NB. Editors: Patients with bipolar disorder and depression
are available to speak with media.
Background: Depression
- Four out of five people with depression can be successfully
treated within weeks.
- Nearly four million Canadians (500,000 British Columbians)
will suffer emotional distress, relationship problems, and
functional impairment due to depression. Depression is one
of the most common and debilitating illnesses in Canada.
- Clinical depression is an illness that usually develops
between the ages of 24 and 44.
- Symptoms include sleep, appetite and energy problems,
social withdrawal and irritability, and despair.
- Depression is a leading cause of disability from work.
It results in an estimated $1.5 billion dollars of lost
productivity each year and is now the 2nd leading cause
of long-term worker disability in Canada.
- Depression is associated with increased mortality due
to other medical causes such as cardiovascular disease and
premature cardiac death.
- Every day, one person in BC dies by suicide. Most are
clinically depressed at the time (About 15 per cent of people
with severe depression commit suicide.)
Background: Bipolar
- Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressive
illness, is a severe mood disorder that affects about one
million Canadians.
- Bipolar is a brain disorder. It typically develops in
adolescence or early adulthood. It is the sixth leading
cause of disability worldwide among 15-44-year-olds, affecting
up to 4 per cent of adults.
- Patients with this disorder experience both severe depressions
as well as manic episodes (common symptoms include irritability,
aggressive behaviour, lack of judgment, impulsivity, decreased
sleep and increased energy, and often psychosis), both of
which are debilitating.
- Patients with bipolar disorder are often undiagnosed,
misdiagnosed, untreated, or under-treated and suffer for
an average of 10 years with symptoms before receiving the
correct diagnosis and treatment. This delay has been shown
to adversely affect patient treatment and recovery.
Bios
Dr. Raymond W. Lam
Dr. Raymond W. Lam is Professor and Head of the Division
of Clinical Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry,
University of British Columbia, and Director of the Mood Disorders
Centre at UBC Hospital in Vancouver.
His research examines clinical and neurobiological factors
in seasonal, atypical and difficult-to-treat depression, biological
effects of light, clinical psychopharmacology, clinical guidelines
and treatment programs for depression. This work has been
supported by many agencies including the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research and the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation,
and by industry research grants.
He has published over 200 scientific articles and book chapters,
and edited three books on depression. He also sits on the
Editorial Boards of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry and
Chronobiology International, and reviews for numerous journals
and funding agencies.
Dr. Lam has received many awards for his research and teaching,
including the Scientific Achievement Award (Vancouver Coastal
Health, 2003), the Douglas Utting Prize and Medal for Depression
Research (SMBD-JGH/McGill University, 2001), the Clinical
Investigator Award (UBC Brain Research Centre, 1999), the
Nancy Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education
(American Psychiatric Association, 1998), and the Special
Recognition Award (Canadian Mental Health Association, 1999).
Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham
Dr. Lakshmi N. Yatham, MBBS, FRCPC, MRCPsych (UK), is Professor
of Psychiatry and Director of the Mood Disorders Clinical
Research Unit at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
His major areas of research interest include neurobiology
and treatment of bipolar disorder and major depression.
Dr. Yatham is a recipient of the Michael Smith Foundation
Senior Scholar Award, and his work has been funded by a number
of peer-reviewed funding agencies such as the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research (CIHR), Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation,
Stanley Foundation, and National Alliance for Research on
Schizophrenia and Depression, USA.
Dr. Yatham leads a Canadian consortium on bipolar disorder,
which is currently pursuing development and testing of new
and innovative treatments for bipolar disorder under his direction
with substantial funding from CIHR. Dr. Yatham co-led the
development of Canadian guidelines for treatment of bipolar
disorder in 1997 and his group is currently in the process
of revising the guidelines for 2004.
He is Chair of the bipolar group of the Canadian Network
for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT), and is actively
involved at a national and international level in continuing
medical education and public education on diagnosis and treatment
of bipolar disorder for psychiatrists, family physicians,
and the general public.
Dr. Yatham is the Vice-President for the International Society
for Bipolar Disorders and he is on the editorial boards of
a number of journals including Bipolar Disorders, Brain Pharmacology,
and Human Psychopharmacology. He has published over 100 papers
in peer-reviewed international journals and presented his
research work at numerous international conferences.
-30- |
 |
|
|
Contact
Hilary Thomson
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2644
Cell: 604.209.3048
E-mail: hilary.thomson@ubc.ca
Lisa Carver
Communications Specialist
VCH Research Institute
Tel: 604.708.5283
Cell: 604.319.7533
E-mail: lisa.carver@vch.ca |
