New global study calls for urgent action on early intervention for bipolar disorder
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A new international study published in Bipolar Disorders and led by researchers from Monash University, Orygen and international partners has revealed critical gaps in the early identification and treatment of bipolar disorder (BD), calling for urgent global action to improve outcomes for young people.
Released ahead of World Bipolar Day on March 30, the study underscores the need for greater awareness, investment, and collaborative research to improve outcomes for the estimated millions of people who experience bipolar disorder worldwide, many of whom develop symptoms before the age of 25.
The qualitative study involved interviews with 28 international experts, including clinicians, researchers, peer workers, and advocacy leaders. The research identified nine key challenges preventing progress in early intervention for BD, including:
- Low awareness and understanding of early signs among clinicians, families and the community
- Lack of clear definitions for “at risk states” and early stage bipolar disorder
- Underfunding and poor prioritisation, despite BD being a leading cause of disability among young people
- A shortage of validated tools for diagnosis, outcome measurement, and longitudinal monitoring
- Limited evidence-based treatments tailored for early-stage BD
- Insufficient service capacity, particularly in primary care settings where symptoms often first present.
- Underutilisation of families in early detection, treatment and relapse prevention
- Fragmented research efforts, with experts calling for global and large, harmonised datasets
Lead author Professor Sue Cotton from the Monash School of Psychological Sciences and Director of The Centre of Research Excellence in Bipolar Disorder CORE-BD said the findings highlight a systemic gap that affects young people at the most critical phase of their mental health trajectory.
“Young people face long delays in diagnosis and limited access to evidence-based care. Our findings show a clear need for better awareness, stronger clinical guidelines, and global collaboration.”
The study reveals that research, clinical guidelines and service models remain sparse or inconsistent for BD, particularly in its earliest stages.
Co-author Dr Melissa Hasty, Executive Officer of CORE-BD, Co-Chair of the Youth Advisory Group and researcher within the Monash School of Psychological Sciences emphasised the need for coordinated international action.
“The message from experts was clear: meaningful progress will only happen if clinicians, researchers, funders, families, and people with lived experience come together. Collaboration, big data, and consensus on definitions are critical for transforming outcomes.”
The research provides a foundation for a global research and advocacy framework focused on early identification and targeted intervention for young people at risk of or newly experiencing bipolar disorder.
To help drive change, CORE-BD is partnering with Bipolar Life, part of Mental Health Foundation Australia to host a World Bipolar community event on Sunday March 29th in South Yarra, to launch a new research participant registry, a major step toward building the large-scale, harmonised datasets needed to accelerate discovery and improve early intervention.
Read the Bipolar Disorders article titled: Understanding the Current State of Play of Early Intervention for Bipolar Disorder: Qualitative analysis of Consultations With International Stakeholders
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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