The mission of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) is to foster international collaboration in education, research and clinical care to improve the lives of those with bipolar disorder and related conditions.
The intent of this collaboration is to advance the treatment of bipolar disorders and to improve outcomes and the quality of life for those living with bipolar disorder and their caregivers.
ISBD was launched in Pittsburgh, PA, USA on June 17, 1999 by Dr. David Kupfer, Founding President, and Dr. Ellen Frank.
The official launch took place at the 3rd International Conference on Bipolar Disorders, where materials were distributed to all of the delegates inviting them to enroll in membership.
Bipolar disorder is a severe and debilitating mental illness, which has in the past decade started to receive the necessary attention from society, researchers, practitioners, government, and private funding agencies.
ISBD was created in response to further need for:
The Society is growing in membership with an elected board representing 8 countries and 500 members representing nearly 50 countries.
ISBD is a major source for emerging research and clinical data on bipolar disorders and is the only bipolar-focused, research-oriented Society working to bring this data to:
The Society currently offers several educational programs, including the Samuel Gershon Awards for Junior Investigators for best original research manuscripts, online training opportunities for young clinicians, and a mentorship program. In addition to its work to support bipolar education among trainees, fellows and young investigators, the ISBD is also moving the field forward through the development of task forces in the areas of child and adolescent bipolar disorder, transcultural needs, staging, women’s health and bipolar disorder in older adults.
Bipolar Disorders – An International Journal of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, which is the official journal of the Society, is published 8 times a year and is dedicated to publishing the results of all research relevant to the basic mechanisms, clinical aspects, or treatment of bipolar disorders.
We would like to thank the following people and organizations who generously donated to the Society in 2020:
Prof Trisha Suppes | Dr Holly Swartz | Dr. Erica Saunders | Dr. Benjamin Goldstein |
Prof Jan Scott | Victor Troyas | Debbie Badawi | Jason Braddy |
David Cutler | Dr. Ariel Gildengers | Kathy Littman | Fern Moore |
Dr Jorge Tellez-Vargas | Marina Itskova | Cathy Girard | Ritamay Roberts |
Alexis Kubisz | Danita Zelenak | Tract Sachtjen | Mohamed Saber |
Collette Jakubowicz | Michael and Sandra Boyle | Kirsten Borror | Lori Simon |
Hui Ben Lim | Anthony Khiliq Jones Jr | Amazon Smile | Network for Good |
Benevity Fund | Mental Health & Addiction Netowrk | United Way of Allegheny County | United Way of Southwestern PA |
If you are interested in making a donation to the Society and would like to review our audited financial statements, please click here.
Join ISBD today to forge connections, share knowledge, and access updated resources.
Learn more about the career development, education, networking, and other opportunities that come with an ISBD membership.
ISBD is devoted to promoting understanding and reducing the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder through education and outreach.