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Bipolar Disorder

Fact Sheet

• Bipolar disorder, commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, affects millions of Americans.
• Bipolar disorder is a chronic disease and in approximately 90 percent of patients, cycles of mania, depression or mixed symptoms of both usually recur and often become more frequent, disrupting work, school, family and social life.
• Bipolar I and Bipolar II are subtypes of the illness. Bipolar I is characterized by episodes of full-blown mania and major depression. Bipolar II involves episodes of less severe mania, called hypomania, and major depression.
• Men and women of all nations, races and socioeconomic groups appear to be equally likely to develop bipolar disorder.
• Bipolar disorder typically emerges in adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people experience their first symptoms during childhood while others develop symptoms later in life.
• In children, bipolar disorder is manifested by periods of depression and mania, mood swings, changes in levels of activity, inappropriate social behavior, sleep and appetite changes, difficulty with concentration and racing thoughts. Approximately 7 percent of children seen in psychiatric facilities fit diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder.
• During the depressive phase of the bipolar cycle, adults tend to experience a persistent sad mood, loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed, significant change in appetite or body weight, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, physical slowing or agitation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, difficulty thinking or concentrating and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
• The manic phase in adults with bipolar disorder may be associated with abnormally and persistently elevated mood or irritability, accompanied by several of the following symptoms: overly inflated sense of self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, increased talkativeness, racing thoughts, hypersexuality, distractibility, increased goal-directed activity (such as shopping), physical agitation and excessive involvement in risky behaviors or activities.
• While bipolar disorder is often romanticized since many highly creative people have suffered from its highs and lows, this disease destroys many lives. The suicide rate among individuals with bipolar disorder is the highest of any psychiatric illness.
• Bipolar disorder is associated with an increased risk of suicide. Nearly half of all U.S. suicidal deaths each year are in patients with bipolar disorders. Their risk for suicide is more than 20 times that of the general population. Of particular concern is that attempts made by bipolar patients have about a 1-in-5 chance of being lethal, compared to a 1-in-20 chance within the general population.
• A variety of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. Lithium has long been used as a first treatment. Many patients experience additional benefit from medication combined with psychotherapy or psychosocial interventions that are directed specifically at coping with the disorder.
• Treatments can be highly effective, enabling many bipolar patients to lead productive lives. Unfortunately, many people with bipolar disorder do not comply with the prescribed treatment, particularly when they experience its manic phases.
• Over time, a person may suffer more frequent and severe manic and depressive episodes than those experienced when the illness first appeared.
• More than two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have at least one close relative with either bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, indicating that the disease has a heritable component.
• Most scientists now agree that there is no single cause for bipolar disorder; rather, many factors act together to produce the illness. Studies seeking to identify the genetic basis of bipolar disorder suggest that susceptibility stems from multiple genes.
• The annual costs to society exceed $26 billion a year, according to new estimates. Such costs include medical bills, missed work and lower productivity.
• Bipolar disorder is often complicated by concomitant alcohol or substance abuse and medical illness, the most common being cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity and thyroid disease. Since bipolar disorder is most often treated in mental health settings, these medical problems are often unrecognized and improperly treated.