How does bipolar disorder actually accelerate aging? And what can you start doing today to slow the aging process down?

Psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Paula Villela Nunes explores the rarely discussed science behind bipolar disorder and accelerated aging, including the role of stress, inflammation, lifestyle, cardiovascular health, telomeres, and increased risk for dementia. She breaks down the hopeful side of the research on how you can take to protect long-term brain health.

(0:00) Does Bipolar Disorder Make You Age Faster?

(0:38) Genetics vs Lifestyle Stress

(1:08) The Science of Telomeres

(2:09) How to Slow Bipolar Aging

(2:47) Do Bipolar Medications Speed Up Aging?

(3:18) Dementia & Lithium

Relevant readings:

• "Telomere Length and Bipolar Disorder" study (2017): https://nature.com/articles/npp2017125
• ''Does bipolar disorder accelerate cellular aging?" meta-analysis of telomere length (2025): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40803151
• "ISBD Guide for Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder" (2022): https://www.isbd.org/Files/Admin/Task...

Bipolar Explained is a new #talkBD series spotlighting expert perspectives on the history, biology, and management of bipolar disorder.

Dr. Paula Villela Nunes is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and researcher whose work focuses on bipolar disorder, aging, and mental health care across the lifespan. Originally from Brazil, she earned her MD and PhD from the University of São Paulo and has worked clinically and academically in both Brazil and Canada. She is currently based in Vancouver, where she works as a researcher at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Nunes has a special interest in aging and bipolar disorder, cognitive health, psychotherapy, and non-pharmacological approaches to recovery and wellness. She is a member of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) and serves as chair of the ISBD Older Age Bipolar Disorder Task Force . Her work also explores the role of families and care partners in supporting people living with bipolar disorder, alongside broader efforts to improve mental health awareness and reduce stigma in the community.

Why does bipolar disorder take years - sometimes decades - to diagnose accurately? And what if artificial intelligence could change that?AI researcher and mood disorder psychiatrist Dr. John-Jose Nunez breaks down the hidden challenges behind bipolar diagnosis and explains how AI could reshape the way we diagnose bipolar disorder. By uncovering new patterns, AI may help doctors see what’s been overlooked - earlier and more accurately than ever before. But how close are we to that reality, and what are the limits?(00:00) AI Is Changing How Doctors Diagnose Bipolar (03:16) How Accurate Is AI? Doctors vs AI(06:50) Human-in-the-loop(09:15) Will AI Replace Psychiatrists?Bipolar Explained is a new #talkBD series spotlighting expert perspectives on the history, biology, and management of bipolar disorder.---Dr. John-Jose Nunez is a psychiatrist and clinical researcher whose work bridges psychiatry and computer science, with a focus on using computational approaches including artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing to improve mental health outcomes. He holds an MD and MSc in Computer Science from UBC, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (Psychiatry). Dr. Nunez is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, a member of the CREST.BD network, and serves as the Associate Medical Director of Supportive Care at BC Cancer.His research aims to use computational methods like artificial intelligence to help patients with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression, and patients experiencing both cancer and mental illness. His thesis work has led to two high-profile publications in JAMA Network Open and Communications Medicine, which garnered international media coverage. His work has been supported by the UBC Institute of Mental Health and the BC Cancer Foundation. More on Dr. Nunez: https://nunezlab.ca

Is it true that people with bipolar disorder have different sleep needs to maintain wellness? How many hours of sleep is optimal? Dr. Holly Swartz breaks down why sleep regularity is so essential for mood stability - and what the science actually tells us.Bipolar Explained is a new #talkBD series spotlighting expert perspectives on the history, biology, and management of bipolar disorder.

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Dr. Holly A. Swartz is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and President of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College, medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed her psychiatric residency training at New York Hospital / Cornell University School of Medicine. Dr. Swartz’s research focuses on understanding and optimizing treatments for mood disorders. She is well known for her work evaluating Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) as treatments for depression and bipolar disorder. Her research focuses on the role of IPSRT and pharmacotherapy in the management of bipolar II depression and IPT in the management of maternal depression. She is engaged in collaborative projects to develop computational frameworks to model dyadic interpersonal behaviors in relation to psychotherapy process and outcomes and to understand neural correlates of change in chronotherapeutic behavioral interventions. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.