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In 2024, the Prechter Program celebrated 20 years since we established the Program at the University of Michigan! The successes of the Program are due to a rainbow of team efforts in which you, through sharing your lived experiences with bipolar disorder, play an important part. It has been the privilege of my lifetime to lead such a dedicated team of researchers, participant collaborators, donors, and community members, all of whom are passionate about advancing our understanding of bipolar disorder.
One of the highlights of 2024 is the work of Drs. Sarah Sperry and Anastasia Yocum who dove deep into the data from the Prechter Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder. They are changing the way clinicians think about bipolar disorder. In the past, symptom severity was used as a measure of how difficult the course of the bipolar disorder might be. Dr. Sperry and Dr. Yocum instead looked at the patterns of mood symptoms – how often a person experiences mania or depression – and found that people who have more mood instability often have a more difficult course with the disorder. This is an important shift in how we think about bipolar disorder – measuring mood stability instead of symptom severity – and was made possible by our research participants filling out the regular questionnaires about their mood and functioning. More work is being done in this area, but we’ve made an exciting start!
I cannot thank you enough for your efforts and contributions - without you we would not have a Program nor gained the critical findings that, together, we have made!
As we embark on 2025, the energy, enthusiasm, and determination among the Prechter team has never been greater and our community is thriving knowing that together we can change the world for those living with bipolar disorder.
Thank you and wishing you all the best in the New Year!
Dr. Melvin McInnis
Director, Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program
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