Review of Bipolar Disorders Confirms Early Diagnosis and Treatment Can Improve Patient Quality of Life

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Champignon Brands Inc. (the "Company"), (CSE: SHRM) (FWB: 496) (OTCQB: SHRMF), announces the publication of an article led by Dr. Roger McIntyre, CEO of Champignon Brands Inc. The article – Bipolar Disorders – is published in one of the world's best-known and most reputable scientific journals in medicine - The Lancet.

The Article contributes to The Lancet's collection of peer-reviewed Seminars and provides a "state-of-the-art overview of bipolar disorders, covering epidemiology, parthenogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, while highlighting relevant clinical controversies."  To review the Article, click here.

Bipolar disorders develop before the age of 25 years in 70% of adults and substantially reduce quality of life and psychosocial functioning across the lifespan. Most individuals with bipolar disorders are predominantly affected by depressive symptoms and episodes. Furthermore, about 1.25% of patients with major depressive disorder per year are subsequently diagnosed with a bipolar disorder.

Like schizophrenia, bipolar disorders decrease life expectancy by approximately 10–20 years. Although people with bipolar disorders are approximately 20–30 times more likely to die by suicide compared with the general population, and indeed approximately 30–50% of adults with bipolar disorders have a lifetime history of suicide attempts, suicide is not the primary reason persons with bipolar disorders lose approximately 10-20 potential years of life.

There exist multiple pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorders that have demonstrated efficacy and been approved by health regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. For example, lithium is a well established antimanic agent that is also capable of attenuating depressive symptoms and reducing suicidal ideation. Anti-suicide effects are not observed with other agents commonly prescribed to adults with bipolar disorders. Other treatments for bipolar depression include cariprazine, lurasidone, quetiapine, and the combination of olanzapine–fluoxetine.

These treatments work best in individuals with fewer episodes and shorter illness durations. That is, patients who are diagnosed and receive effective treatment promptly are more likely to recover than are those requiring care through specialised treatment programmes who have already experienced multiple episodes and years of unstable illness.

Unfortunately, individuals with bipolar disorders are often misdiagnosed and do not receive appropriate evidence-based care in a timely fashion. As the article cites, "Most individuals with bipolar disorders are not accurately diagnosed until approximately 6–10 years after first contact with a primary health-care provider, a specialty health-care provider, or both, despite having clinical characteristics of the illness."

The article concludes, "The availability of so-called rapid-onset treatments (e.g., ketamine) and treatments that could mitigate suicidality is crucial to clinical settings. The next decade will see the testing of mechanistically novel agents for bipolar disorders."

As well as CEO of Champignon Brands, Dr. McIntyre is a Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto and Head of the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit at the University Health Network. In addition to his recent publication of this article, Dr. McIntyre has published over 600 peer-reviewed scientific articles on bipolar disorders and depression.

Champignon Brands Inc. (https://champignonbrands.com) is a research-driven company specializing in breakthrough ketamine treatment for depression and other mental health conditions. The Company works closely with subsidiaries including AltMed Capital Corp. ("AltMed"). The Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence is wholly owned by AltMed.

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SOURCE Champignon Brands Inc.

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