This book focuses on the recent surge in research into the pathogenesis and treatment of bipolar disorder, and critically analyses the evidence supporting many of the conventional opinions about the disease. Chapters by leading basic science and clinical researchers from North America and Europe address issues including the very nature of the disease (psychological disorder or brain disease), the role of genetics, the role of cortisol, and the effects of long-term treatment. Based on lectures presented as part of the second European Foundation for Psychiatry at the Maudsley (EFPM) meeting, this book will stimulate discussion and debate on novel views and will question the dogmas of existing practice.