RNS: Bipolar genetics, October 2006
TIME: 2:12
URL: www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2006/hmbipolar.htm
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Out of tragedy comes hope:
Auto pioneer’s suicide inspires research on bipolar disorder
Thousands of patients are still needed to help build DNA pool for U-M studies
Suggested lead: Five years ago, the automotive industry lost one of its brightest stars, Heinz Prechter, who suffered from bipolar disorder. Today, the tragedy of his death is driving scientists at the U-M Health System and elsewhere to perform research that should give hope to the 5.7 million Americans who have bipolar disorder. Here’s Andi Mcdonnell with more…
One morning five years ago, the automotive industry was shocked by the suicide of one of its brightest stars, Heinz Prechter. He killed himself despite seeming to have it all: a successful company he had built from nothing after coming to America, a beautiful and intelligent wife, growing children, and dozens of friends.
But in fact, Mr. Prechter had something else, which almost no one else knew about: the mental illness called bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression. His moods would swing from extreme happiness and boundless energy to deep, dark, depressed lows. During one of those lows, he took his life.
To bring light to bipolar disorder, his wife, Wally, has created the Heinz Prechter Research Fund at the University of Michigan Depression Center in her husband’s memory.
She tells us…
“I lived with him for 24 years. I had experienced what he went through and I had an idea what other people are going through because if you’re not in those shoes, you don’t know. And I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to help change the way we look at that illness and help change the way we treat people who have this, bring it to the forefront, take the stigma off and help fix it, once and for all.”
Out of her family’s sorrow, Wally hopes, will come real advances in identifying the combination of genes that make someone susceptible to the disease that took her husband.
One of the leaders of the bipolar research effort, Dr. Melvin McInnis, (M.D.), a U-M psychiatrist and geneticist, and member of the U-M Depression Center, explains…
“Our hopes for treating people in the future with bipolar disorder is that we will be able to identify the most effective medication for them at the onset of their illness. Now, the most effective medication to treat not only their symptoms at the present time, but the most effect medication that’s going to help them stay well.”
That lack of effective treatment is a big reason for the high risk of suicide or suicide attempts among people with bipolar disorder, McInnis says. Like Heinz Prechter, anywhere from 5 to 15 percent of bipolar patients will attempt or commit suicide sometime in their life.
Andi Mcdonnell, U-M Health System News. |
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