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Public mental health services are in a dire state, the annual state comptroller's report warned yesterday. The report found extensive waiting lists for psychiatric hospitals and clinics and said psychiatric hospitals suffered from neglect.

The President of the WA Association for Mental Health has criticised the Federal Government's health reform plan.

Keith Wilson, who was a former Labor Health Minister, says it promises little for mental health services.

Mr Wilson says the Rudd Government's $50 billion takeover of public hospital funding which involves hospitals being run by local boards, is a step back in time.

He says the previous WA Labor Government abolished local hospital boards.

UNSW and the Black Dog Institute will take part in the largest international study of its type to pinpoint the risk factors associated with bipolar disorder.

Around 500 Australians aged 12 to 30 will be recruited to take part in the study, to be conducted in collaboration with four major research institutions in the United States - Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Universities of Michigan, Indiana and Washington.

Recruitment to the study is scheduled to begin this month.

THE three hold-out premiers were last night refusing to hand over 30 per cent of their GST despite an extra $1.2 billion sweetener from Kevin Rudd.

The NSW, Victoria and Western Australia premiers said negotiations yesterday on the Prime Minister's health reform package had been productive but they warned they would not part with their GST funds.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally emerged from yesterday's preliminary discussions to say she remained opposed to handing over GST revenue.

Disgraced former Federal Court judge Marcus Einfeld needs hospital treatment for a psychiatric condition, a court has heard.

Einfeld is appealing his minimum two-year jail term for lying to avoid a speeding fine.

In October, the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal was presented with a new psychiatric report concluding he had been suffering from a previously undiagnosed bipolar mood disorder.

THE cleverest children in school are also those most likely to suffer a serious mental illness as adults, research reveals.
Scientists found that straight-A students were four times more likely to develop bipolar disorder than children with average grades.

Previous research and anecdotal evidence from famous and creative individuals have suggested a link between high IQ and bipolar disorder.

Stephen Fry is encouraging people with bipolar disorder to take part in a university's research into how genes can contribute to the illness.

The actor, author and presenter has taken part in Cardiff University's study, along with TV personality Kerry Katona.

Researchers need to double the number of the 3,000 volunteers who have so far donated DNA samples for analysis.

Fry said volunteers would help "remove stigma, shame and hidden pain".

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The willingness of high-profile sufferers of bipolar disorder, such as Stephen Fry, to talk about their condition has led to more people diagnosing themselves with the illness, researchers claimed yesterday.
Bipolar disorder, which was previously known as manic depression, affects moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. Writing in the Psychiatrist, Dr Diana Chan and Dr Lester Sireling, who work in London, say the increase in self-diagnosis

Julie Fast, an author and expert on bipolar disorder, explains four steps to stabilize your mood and combat depression and mania.

On HealthPlace.com's youtube videos, Fast shares her tools for mood stability and other important tips for living with bipolar disorder.

"You can have a much higher quality of life, there is no question about it. It takes work and sometimes takes years, but you can start and it's definitely possible, " said Fast.

For some families, bipolar disorder runs through the generations as invariably as freckles or cleft chins appear in other family trees. Even so, looking for your family’s source of bipolar disorder can be a little like searching for the headwaters of the Nile. You start backtracking through the generations and suddenly realize that the quirky behavior you once brushed aside as your grandmother’s eccentricity was really a signpost.