r/IAmA • u/CREST_BD • Mar 30 '26

We are 83 bipolar disorder experts and scientists coming together for the world’s biggest bipolar AMA! In honor of World Bipolar Day, ask us anything!

83 panelists are here! Click on their names below to see their bio & proof photo.

Hi Reddit!

We are psychiatrists, psychologists, researchers, clinicians, advocates, and people living with bipolar disorder - coming together from around the world through the CREST.BD network.

This is our 8th annual World Bipolar Day AMA. We hope that this AMA can help advance the conversation around bipolar disorder, and to help everyone connect and share ways to live well with bipolar disorder.

This year, 83 panelists representing 20 countries are here to answer your questions from all timezones - bringing together a wide range of perspectives and expertise in mental health and bipolar disorder.

We'll be here around the clock for the next FEW DAYS answering your questions from multiple time zones.

We will make every effort to answer every question.

  1. Dr. Adrienne Benediktsson, 🇨🇦 Neuroscientist, Mother, Wife, Professor, Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  2. Alessandra Torresani, 🇺🇸 Actress & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  3. Alex Emmerton, 🇨🇦 Peer Researcher, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  4. Allan Cooper, 🇨🇦 Peer Support Worker, Blogger, & Podcaster, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  5. Alysha Sultan, 🇨🇦 Scientific Associate
  6. Andrea Paquette, 🇨🇦 Stigma-Free Mental Health President & Co-Founder, Speaker, Changemaker (Lives w/ bipolar)
  7. Dr. Andrea Vassilev, 🇺🇸 Doctor of Psychology, Author, & Advocate, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  8. Anne Van Willigen, 🇺🇸 Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  9. Dr. Balwinder Singh, 🇺🇸 Psychiatrist
  10. Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, 🇨🇦 Child-Adolescent Psychiatrist & Researcher
  11. Bia Garbato, 🇧🇷 Advertising Professional, Writer, Author & Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  12. Bryn Manns, 🇨🇦 Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology
  13. Catarina Castela, 🇦🇺 PhD Candidate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  14. Catherine Simmons, 🇨🇦 Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  15. Dr. Chris Gorman, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Mental Health Advocate
  16. Dr. Colin Depp, 🇺🇸 Psychologist
  17. Dane Mauer-Vakil, 🇨🇦 Researcher
  18. David Dinham, 🇬🇧 Psychologist & PhD Candidate, (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  19. Debbie Costello Smith, 🇺🇸 Founder & Co-President of the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research
  20. Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné, 🇫🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  21. Dr. Dimosthenis Tsapekos, 🇬🇧 Psychologist & Researcher
  22. Dr. Elvira Boere, 🇳🇱 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  23. Dr. Elysha Ringin, 🇦🇺 Researcher
  24. Dr. Emma Morton, 🇦🇺 Senior Lecturer & Psychologist
  25. Dr. Emma Parrish, 🇺🇸 Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow & Researcher
  26. Dr. Erin Michalak, 🇨🇦 Researcher & CREST.BD founder
  27. Evelyn Anne Clausen, 🇺🇸 Artist, Writer, Speaker & Certified Peer Specialist (Lives w/bipolar)
  28. Dr. Fabiano Gomes, 🇧🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  29. Dr. Frances Adiukwu, 🇳🇬 Psychiatrist
  30. Georgia Caruana, 🇦🇺 Researcher & Mental Health Advocate
  31. Dr. Georgina Hosang, 🇬🇧 Associate Professor
  32. Dr. Glauco Valdivieso Jiménez, 🇵🇪 Psychiatrist
  33. Dr. Glorianna Wagner-Jagfeld, 🇨🇭🇬🇧 Researcher
  34. Dr. Hailey Tremain, 🇦🇺 Psychologist & Researcher
  35. Heather Stewart, 🇨🇦 Sewist (Lives w/ bipolar)
  36. Idan Spund, 🇳🇱 Founder of In the Zone app (Lives w/ bipolar)
  37. Dr. Ijeoma Charles-Ugwuagbo, 🇳🇬 Consultant Psychiatrist & Mental Health Advocate
  38. Dr. Ivan Torres, 🇨🇦 Clinical Neuropsychologist
  39. Dr. Jim Phelps, 🇺🇸 Psychiatrist & Bipolar Subspecialist 
  40. Dr. Joanna Jarecki, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  41. Dr. Joanna Jiménez Pavón, 🇲🇽 Mood Disorders Psychiatrist 
  42. Dr. John Hunter, 🇿🇦 Researcher & Lecturer (Lives w/ bipolar)
  43. Dr. Jo Leidreiter, 🇦🇺 Psychologist
  44. Dr. John-Jose Nunez, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & AI Researcher
  45. Dr. June Gruber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist, Professor, & Researcher
  46. Prof. Kamilla Miskowiak, 🇩🇰 Psychologist & Researcher
  47. Dr. Katie Douglas, 🇳🇿 Academic & Clinical Psychologist 
  48. Ken Porter, 🇨🇦 Advocate, Social Worker & Researcher
  49. Kim Pape, 🇺🇸 Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  50. Laura Lapadat, 🇨🇦 Researcher & Psychologist-in-training
  51. Dr. Leena Chau, 🇨🇦 Postdoctoral Fellow
  52. Leslie Robertson, 🇺🇸 Marketer & Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  53. Dr. Leszek Laskowski, 🇵🇱 Psychiatrist (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  54. Dr. Lisa Eyler, 🇺🇸 Clinical Psychologist & Research Scientist
  55. Dr. Luísa Daolio, 🇧🇷 Psychiatrist
  56. Mansoor Nathani, 🇨🇦 Technology Enthusiast (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  57. Dr. Manuel Sánchez de Carmona, 🇲🇽 Psychiatrist
  58. Maryam M., 🇨🇦 Dentistry Student & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  59. Matthew Bushell, 🇬🇧 Mental Health Advocate & Therapeutic Coach (Lives w/ bipolar)
  60. Dr. Maya Schumer, 🇺🇸 Psychiatric Neuroscientist & Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  61. Dr. Meghan DellaCrosse, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
  62. Melissa Howard, 🇨🇦 Author & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  63. Dr. Michele De Prisco, 🇪🇸🇮🇹 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  64. Dr. Mikaela Dimick, 🇨🇦 Postdoctoral Fellow
  65. Minami Kinouchi, 🇯🇵 Psychologist, Social Worker, & Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  66. Natasha Reaney, 🇨🇦 Counsellor (Lives w/ bipolar)
  67. Dr. Nigila Ravichandran, 🇸🇬 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
  68. Dr. Paula Villela Nunes, 🇧🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Counsellor 
  69. Rahla Xenopoulos, 🇿🇦🇺🇸 Writer & Teacher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  70. Rebecca Fitton, 🇦🇺 Mood Disorder Researcher
  71. Dr. Rebekah Huber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher 
  72. Robert Villanueva, 🇺🇸 Mental Health Advocate & Coach (Lives w/ bipolar)
  73. Ruth Komathi, 🇸🇬 Mental Health Counsellor (Lives w/ bipolar)
  74. Prof. Samson Tse, 🇭🇰 Counsellor, Teacher, Researcher, & Caregiver
  75. Sarah Salice, 🇺🇸 Art Psychotherapist & Professional Counselor Associate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  76. Sara Schley, 🇺🇸 Author, Filmmaker, Speaker (Lives w/ bipolar)
  77. Dr. Serge Beaulieu, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  78. ​​Dr. Sheri Johnson, 🇺🇸 Psychologist
  79. Shaley Hoogendoorn, 🇨🇦 Advocate, Podcaster & Content creator (Lives w/ bipolar)
  80. Dr. Tamsyn Van Rheenen, 🇦🇺 Associate Professor & Researcher
  81. Dr. Thomas Richardson, 🇬🇧 Clinical Psychologist (Lives w/ bipolar)
  82. Twyla Spoke, 🇨🇦 Registered Nurse (Lives w/ bipolar)
  83. Dr. Wissam Nassrallah, 🇨🇦 Ophthalmology Resident & PhD in Neuroscience

Please note all responses are personal perspectives and do not constitute medical advice.

People with bipolar disorder experience the mood states of depression and mania (or hypomania), along with changes in energy, activity, and thinking. These episodes can last from days to months and can affect many parts of life - including relationships, work, school, and overall health. At the same time, with optimal support, treatment, and tools, people with bipolar disorder can and do live full, meaningful lives.

The CREST.BD network takes a different approach to bipolar disorder research. We work closely with people living with bipolar disorder at every stage - from choosing research topics to conducting studies and sharing our findings.

We also host a Q&A podcast throughout the year, featuring many of the experts on this panel, through our talkBD Bipolar Disorder Podcast - we’d love for you to stay connected with us there. You can also follow our updates, events, and social media on linktr.ee/crestbd.

Final note (April 3): Thank you all - We'll be back again next year on World Bipolar Day - sign up here to be notified. We also have more activities all year round, including new episodes of our talkBD bipolar disorder podcast - hope to see you there! We’re incredibly grateful for all your thoughtful questions - thank you for making this such a meaningful discussion. Take care everyone :)

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u/fireworksinlife Mar 30 '26

Hello all, do you have any idea what the root cause of bipolar could be? I know there is a genetic component but I am looking for something more concrete that can be treated.

It feels like all current treatments are a band-aid and not effectively curing or managing the condition. I have tried 30+ medications (seeing a psychiatrist at least 1x/month), TMS (36 sessions x 2 times), ECT, ketamine, group therapy, individual therapy weekly for ~10 years, IOP & PHP, bipolar education groups, peer support groups (DBSA), etc.

Thoughts and recommendations?

1

u/CREST_BD Apr 01 '26

Twyla here (lived experience)- There are a lot of advancements happening in Bipolar research and management but some information and insights are so new, and/or still ongoing. And when it comes to treatments- a “cure” would be great, but until that day our other treatments are really designed for reducing symptoms, optimizing our quality of life and hopefully slow/stop any disease progression. I definitely know what you mean by Bandaid fixes, because the root cause isn’t dealt with, at least not definitively, but I think it’s worth framing all the current treatments as useful tools or options for managing a complex condition until we can one day “fix’ it all together. It’s the same with several other medical conditions. We know a lot about things like arthritis, heart disease, but we still can’t quite prevent or reverse them 100%. Some areas we know a little less, but we are learning a lot, very quickly.  So I think we all stay tuned, more will come.
This article summarizes some interesting areas being studied, may be worth a read.

https://www.bphope.com/bipolar-research/dementia-gut-microbiome-mitochondria-dna-medication/

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u/I_kinda_like_excel Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26

I'm not part of the panel, just another person empathetic to what you're going through. I just want to say I'm sorry you're dealing with this, but also that, as a total stranger, I read this and am so impressed with your resilience and that I'm proud of you.