International Society for Bipolar Disorders

International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Name	International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Abbreviation	ISBD
Formation	1999
Type	Professional society
Headquarters	Global
Region served	Worldwide
Leader title	President

International Society for Bipolar Disorders is a professional organization dedicated to advancing research, treatment, and education related to bipolar disorder. Founded in the late 20th century, the society brings together clinicians, researchers, and policymakers from institutions such as Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Mental Health, Harvard Medical School, King's College London, and Stanford University. It collaborates with international bodies including the World Health Organization, American Psychiatric Association, Royal College of Psychiatrists, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and World Psychiatric Association.

History

The society was established in response to growing international interest exemplified by meetings at venues like Royal Society, Smithsonian Institution, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Mellon University, and Columbia University. Early gatherings featured contributors from Johns Hopkins University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, and University of Melbourne. Founding figures included academics affiliated with Yale University, UCLA, McGill University, Seoul National University, and Peking University. The organization expanded through partnerships with organizations such as National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Australian National University, and Max Planck Society. Over time, it developed ties to conferences held at New York University, University College London, King Abdullah University, University of São Paulo, and University of Cape Town.

Mission and Objectives

The society’s mission aligns with priorities set by United Nations, G8 summit, G20 summit, European Union, and African Union health strategies. Objectives include promoting clinical guidelines influenced by panels like those of American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Health Service, Canadian Psychiatric Association, and Japanese Society of Mood Disorders. It seeks to translate evidence from trials funded by bodies such as Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, European Research Council, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration into practice. The society also emphasizes collaboration with advocacy organizations like Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Samaritans, Mind (charity), and Beyond Blue.

Governance and Membership

Governance is structured with elected officers drawn from universities and institutes including Imperial College London, Vanderbilt University, Karolinska Institutet, University of Chicago, and Duke University. Advisory committees have included representatives from Royal Society of Canada, Swiss National Science Foundation, Graham Boeckh Foundation, European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness, and International Neuropsychological Society. Membership categories mirror those of societies like American Medical Association, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Indian Psychiatric Society, Brazilian Psychiatric Association, and Chinese Medical Association. Honorary and lifetime members have been affiliated with institutions such as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, St. Thomas' Hospital, and John Radcliffe Hospital.

Conferences and Meetings

Biennial and annual meetings are held at venues comparable to Palace of Westminster, Sydney Opera House, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Kraków Cloth Hall, and Vienna Hofburg. The scientific program often features keynote speakers from Princeton University, Brown University, Cornell University, Rutgers University, and University of Pennsylvania. Satellite symposia have been organized with partners such as Society of Biological Psychiatry, International Congress of Psychology, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, World Congress of Psychiatry, and European Psychiatric Association. Meetings include workshops modeled on courses from Harvard School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of California, San Francisco, and National University of Singapore.

Research and Publications

The society sponsors multicenter studies in collaboration with networks including ENIGMA Consortium, Psychiatry Genomics Consortium, Coimbra Group, Euro-Mental Health Research Network, and Asia-Pacific Bipolar Network. Publications appear in journals such as The Lancet Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry, and Bipolar Disorders (journal). Position statements and consensus reports cite methodology from Cochrane Collaboration, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, World Health Organization, and National Academy of Medicine. The society’s research priorities intersect with work at Salk Institute, Broad Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute on genetics, neuroimaging, and pharmacotherapy. Collaborative grants have been awarded by National Science Foundation, European Commission, Horizon 2020, Fogarty International Center, and Human Frontier Science Program.

Education and Training

Educational activities include curricula and fellowships modeled after programs at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam, and ETH Zurich. Training workshops are co-sponsored with organizations like World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, European Society for Clinical Investigation, International Council of Nurses, and Global Mental Health Peer Network. Online resources draw on platforms developed by Coursera, edX, Khan Academy, Open University, and FutureLearn. The society also partners with patient-centered groups such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Care Quality Commission, Social Care Institute for Excellence, and Health Service Executive to support clinician education and public outreach.

Category:Mental health organizations