Bipolar disorder is a major psychiatric illness, characterised by periodic episodes of mania and depression and is frequently also accompanied by psychosis and cognitive dysfunction. It is one of the top 20 most disabling health conditions and affects approximately 1.5% of the population or 350,000 Australians. There is a reduced life expectancy of people with bipolar disorder, with an average loss of 8-12 years of life, due to both suicide and increased rates of severe physical illness, particularly respiratory, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Bipolar disorder is strongly heritable with a 14-fold increased illness risk for first-degree relatives of someone living with the illness and heritability estimates range between 60-90%, providing clear evidence for a genetic contribution to disease risk. However, identifying the detailed genetic basis of bipolar has been challenging, as has been the adoption of that knowledge for translation into improved treatments. Currently, treatment for bipolar disorder is not initiated until a first episode of mania (or hypomania) is diagnosed. Therefore, identification of a high-risk profile prior to the onset of mania, would facilitate early intervention strategies which have the potential to change the outcome of illness and reduce the avertable burden of disease. Accordingly, our long-term project has been focused on identifying the genetic contributors to bipolar disorder.