Free Forum Offered on Common Mood Disorder

   Portland, Ore.

The public is invited to a free forum on how patient input has changed the way doctors treat bipolar disorder, one of America's most common mental illnesses, Wednesday, Jan. 23, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center auditorium, 3710 S.W. U.S. Veterans Hospital Road. Refreshments will be served.

The forum, titled "Treating Bipolar Disorder: Consumer-Driven Stages of Change," will be presented by guest speakers Chad Morris, Ph.D., a research psychologist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and University of Colorado research assistant Robert Bremer. Bipolar disorder, a condition in which patients may suffer extreme mood swings between depression and exaggerating feelings of well-being, was once treated with a single drug. Morris and Bremer will discuss how input from patients being treated for the condition has led to new approaches combining a variety of treatments such as medication, cognitive-behavior therapy, family therapy, and adjustments in daily sleep/wake and social contact schedules.

The forum is one of a series of educational meetings sponsored by the Mood Disorder Center at the Portland VA Medical Center. For more information, please call 503 220-8262, Ext. 57429.

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OHSU Communications
503 494-8231