On Friday 25 April 1997 I was Surfing the Internet for information on Bipolar Disorder and randomly printing anything I thought was of interest. I was not really concentrating on what I was printing so it was only that Sunday when I was clearing the printer that I saw the reference to a International Conference. I was extremely excited and following my Carpe Diem philosophy of life e-mailed Mary Healy the Director of Educational Activities at the University of Pittsburgh and asked her to fax me a registration form. I received the application forms the following day and was registered for the conference by the Tuesday. I then faced the reality of travelling across the time zone and the potential risks associated with that. I am fortunate to have very close friends in Philadelphia so I spent two weeks with them prior to the conference. This was vital as it allowed me to catch up on sleep after a tiring flight and also settle down after the stress of getting visas, booking flights, finding someone to house sit etc…etc…

I arrived in Pittsburgh on the 18 June 1997, the day before the three day conference. At 7:45 am I arrived at the conference not knowing what to expect. We registered and then had a light buffet breakfast before entering the main hall. Copies of articles written and slides presented were included in the course notes issued to us. Then after a brief welcome by the Professor of Psychiatry from the University of Pittsburgh, we began the first session "Maintenance Pharmacology" four expert speakers spoke on the research done on Lithium, Antidepressants and Antiepileptic drugs.

Just before lunch I attended interactive session, on "Family Issues". Dr David Miklowitz impressed me with his insight into the effects the illness has on the family and the vital role the family can play in assisting the Bipolar Sufferer. He is about to publish a book "Bipolar Disorder: A Family-Focused Treatment Approach", by Guilford Press. I found his views particularly relevant to us in South Africa where due to the decentralisation and downsizing of state hospitals the Family will be required to play a more active role in the treatment and support of Bipolars. He stressed that family members should become educated about the illness so that they could deal or cope with their loved ones.

After lunch the session focused on "Child and Adolescent Bipolarity". This was very new to me and I walked away having had the illusion that Bipolar only came later in life shattered. Speakers stressed that Bipolar Affective Disorder could occur in Pre-school and Pre-pubertal children. The relationship between ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and Juvenile Mania was discussed.

The second day morning session focused on Psychosocial aspects of Bipolar Disorder. The session was dedicated to Dr Mike Goldstein who had died in March of Cancer. He was busy with a study on the effects of psychoeducational family management on the course of Bipolar Disorder, at the time of his premature death. I found this session particularly valuable and the following topics were addressed:

Life Events and Bipolar Illness: some findings of their study were. "both presence of severe stressors and total elevations of stress were associated with greater likelihood of relapse/recurrence" and "those with histories of more prior episodes were more likely to relapse following stressors than those with fewer episodes"

Cognitive Therapy in Bipolar Illness: the use of cognitive behavioural treatments in conjunction with Pharmocotherapy (medication) was discussed. Research suggests that this combination of treatment assists with long-term treatment of the disorder.

Psychoeducational Family Management: David Miklowitz spoke and stressed the role of the family. He discussed Family focused Psycho-educational treatment and stressed the importance of educating family members about the illness.

he Interactive Session on "The Role of Advocacy Support Groups" I found very disappointing. The entire discussion focused on the current status of legislation in the USA . Considering this was a International Conference with 20 Countries represented I did not feel that the discussions were relevant.

he final day morning session focused on "Genetic Findings in Bipolar Disorder". These talks were very much aimed at the medical profession and were far to technical for me to grasp. The afternoon session was even more technical focusing on "Potential sources of new pharmacotherapies". Detailed discussions on Neurotransmitters, PKC pathways etc… induced me to go on a very pleasant Ferry Trip and see the local sights.

he conference was attended by over 800 delegates from 20 countries. Kay Jamison (author of "An Unquiet Mind") spoke at the official dinner. Like many others at that conference I was once again struck by how much she had helped us. It was moving to see her get a standing ovation from Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Bipolar sufferers and members of their families.

I was impressed by the extremely efficient way the conference was run. I had many interesting conversations with people from all over the world and left the conference feeling far less alone. It was an amazing feeling to be among so many other people who were focused on dealing with Bipolar Affective Disorder.

he conference to me was all I anticipated and more. Since attending it I feel I am able to look at the illness more objectively. I can discuss it objectively without referring to myself all the time. This enables me to gain so much from talking to others. I recently received a Newsletter from the Mood Disorders Association of British Columbia, Vancouver. It quoted a very the following which is very true :

I have realised this again and again during the past year. I hope that this article gives you some idea of what I experienced at this conference and some insight into what I learned there.