Michael Berk has published over 200 papers on mood and psychotic disorders, particularly bipolar disorder. He has completed 15 self-initiated randomised controlled trials, which include the first two published randomised controlled trials of the atypical antipsychotics and lamotrigine in bipolar disorder, as well as the first positive trials of N-acetyl cysteine in both schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. He is the current Chairman of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders.
Positions
Michael Berk is currently appointed to the Chair of Psychiatry for Barwon Health and The Geelong Clinic at The University of Melbourne, is an Honorary Professorial Research fellow at the Mental Health Research Institute, and leads the first episode Bipolar program at Orygen Youth Health.
Education
MBBCh: University of the Witwatersrand
MMed (Psych) Cum Laude: University of the Witwatersrand
FF(Psych)SA : College of Medicine of South Africa
PhD: Pretoria University
FRANZCP: Royal Australia & New Zealand College of Psychiatry
Relevant Publications
· Berk M, Copolov D, Dean O, Lu K, Jeavons S, Schapkaitz I, Anderson-Hunt M, Bush AI: N-acetyl cysteine for depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder - a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Biological Psychiatry 2008, 15; 64: 468-75.
· Berk M, Copolov D, Dean O, Lu K, Jeavons S, Schapkaitz I, Anderson-Hunt M, Judd F, Katz F, Katz P, et al.: N-acetyl cysteine as a glutathione precursor for schizophrenia - a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Biological Psychiatry 2008, 64: 361-8.
· Berk M, Ng F, Dean O, Dodd S, Bush AI: Glutathione: a novel treatment target in psychiatry. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2008, 29:346-351.
· Berk, M, Mahli GS, Mitchell PB, Cahill CM, Carman AC, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Hawkins MT Tohen M. The bipolar depression rating scale (BDRS): It's development, validation and utility. Bipolar Disorders 2007; 9(6):571-579
· Berk M, Conus P, Lucas N, Hallam K, Malhi GS, Dodd S, Yatham LN, Yung A McGorry PD. Setting the Stage: From Prodrome to Treatment Resistance in Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorders 2007: 9(7): 671-678
