Unit of Bipolar

The Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit at Hospital Clínic is led by the Institute of Neurosciences (ICN). The Unit specializes in patients with affective disorders who receive comprehensive care at Hospital Clínic.

Bipolar disorders affect approximately 2% to 4% of the world's population, while depressive disorders have a prevalence of between 5% and 10%. Both disorders account for 30%-40% of all mental health diagnoses.

Both depressive and bipolar disorders are among the 10 most frequent causes of disability worldwide and have a great impact on functionality, quality of life, and morbidity and mortality, which is why adequate treatment and monitoring is necessary.

The Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit is considered a reference unit by CatSalut, maintaining a programme of second opinions especially for highly complex patients (refractory, medical comorbidities) covering the entire population of patients corresponding to the Esquerra de l'Eixample area of Barcelona.

The Unit's healthcare activity focuses on the prevention, detection and early diagnosis of these disorders in order to provide timely and comprehensive treatment to patients throughout the course and stages of these diseases.

Every year, there are over 350 first outpatient visits and 9,000 follow-up visits, and approximately 1,700 patients are offered regular and continuous care at the Centre. In addition to this, the specialized Acute Hospitalization Unit manages and treats an average of 200 patients with affective disorders every year, and 1,400 sessions are held in the Day Hospital, including electroconvulsive therapy.

Since it is a national and regional reference centre, approximately 30% of these patients come from other sectors or autonomous communities, with the vast majority of them being patients with greater complexity.

In addition to its commitment to care, over more than 20 years of experience, the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona has led and participated in more than a hundred national and international studies on affective disorders, which has allowed us to learn about relevant aspects of the course and prognosis of these illnesses (clinical, biological and neurocognitive).

This knowledge has led to the development, evaluation and implementation of new treatments, both pharmacological and psychological, in daily clinical practice. The following procedures stand out in which he is a national and international reference in the area of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with these disorders.

The main lines of action of the Unit are:

• Characterization of evolutionary and predictive patterns and predominant polarity.
• Personalization of pharmacological and psychological treatments according to clinical and evolutionary characteristics.
• Clinical and neuropsychological prognostic factors of the pharmacological and psychological therapeutic response in depressive disorders.
• Cognitive and functional assessment and rehabilitation.
• Psychoeducation for patients with bipolar disorder and their families.
• Development, evaluation and implementation of technological innovations in the illness.