To fully answer this question, researchers would have to study many high-risk children from birth and try different types of interventions to see what did and didn't protect against the development of bipolar disorder.
Dr Pitman recently conducted a trial to see if propranolol could prevent the development of this disorder, which afflicts those who have been exposed to horrific events, such as battles or plane crashes, with emotionally disturbing flash-back memories.
He believes that psychiatric problems, such as schizophrenia, drug addiction and obsessive compulsive disorder generally arise from irregular brain development.
BBC: World's most detailed scans will reveal how brain works
Children who suffered from cerebral palsy, another disorder linked to faulty early neural development, did not have elevated levels of the proteins.
The discovery of the gene that controls Rett syndrome could lead to the development of a test to diagnose the disorder before birth and new methods to prevent the debilitating effects of the disease.
BBC: News | Health | Scientists crack secret of child disease
Study leader Dr Jeffrey Johnson said more research was needed to see if depression problems in teenagers were an early phase of major depressive disorder or if minor depression earlier in life contributed to the development of more serious problems later on.
It is believed that sleep deprivation may harm neurological development and can contribute to behavioural problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Dr Jones told BBC News Online that while most of the problematic behaviours uncovered in the study were not severe enough to be diagnosed as a clinical eating disorder they were still quite significant and placed the girls at risk for the development of conditions such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Lilly has another promising brain drug nearing the end of its development as well: Strattera, a non-stimulant treatment for attention-deficit disorder.
LibiGel is in development for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), specifically, hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in menopausal women, for which there is no FDA-approved product.
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