In Memory of Hagop Akiskal

Abstract

The death of Hagop Akiskal left a great void in all who knew him, and many of us knew him, indeed, all over the world. Hagop was an attentive clinician and innovative researcher as well as a mentor who accompanied the growth of many young psychiatrists, a researcher sometimes controversial, never predictable, whose reflections have changed the way of seeing and conceiving mental illness in recent decades. And, above all, a gifted visionary that changed the field of bipolar disorders for better and forever. He rawarded of several international prizes, including the Jean Delay Prize of the World Psychiatric Association in 2002 (perhaps the most prestigious award in the field of psychiatry).