[Early recognition and intervention for bipolar disorders: state of research and perspectives]

Early signs of developing bipolar disorder are frequently already present in adolescence or early adulthood. Despite this the disorder is often diagnosed late leading to a delay in adequate treatment. Benefiting from the experience of the early recognition of psychosis, we aimed to strengthen synergies by founding a German-speaking network of scientists in the fields of bipolar disorders and early recognition of mental disorders ("Network for Early Recognition and Intervention in Bipolar Disorders", short: NERIBID) in order to develop joint scientific and clinical standards and design and conduct collaborative study projects. Initial key aspects of establishing the network included a review of the research to date and the (further) development of instruments for early recognition. Preliminary results of these initiatives are presented in this article. In the long term it has to be clarified whether early detection of at-risk states for the development of bipolar disorders is possible and, if so, which early intervention strategies are most appropriate? If it is possible to reliably identify individuals at true risk for bipolar disorder, the next question to be answered is how early detection initiatives that presently are mostly realized within research projects could be established pragmatically within clinical settings in the health care system.