What is Bipolar? Bipolar Disorder is a serious life long mental health condition which features pronounced mood swings. The condition was formerly known as manic depression. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the condition affects 2.9% of Australians aged 16 and over, or 568,000 people.
Anxiety disorders (such as Social Phobia) are the most common type of disorder, affecting 1 in 6 (17%, or 3.3 million) Australians, followed by Affective disorders (such as Depressive Episode) (8%), and Substance Use disorders (such as Alcohol Dependence) (3. %).
Prevalence of Bipolar Disorder Among Adults
An estimated 4.4% of U.S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some time in their lives.
A new study says the United States has the highest lifetime rate of bipolar disorder at 4.4%, and India the lowest, with 0.1%.
Each year, about 1 in every 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Almost half the population has experienced a mental health disorder at some time in their life.
An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In particular, depressive illnesses tend to co-occur with substance use and anxiety disorders.
Risk factors
Factors that may increase the risk of developing bipolar disorder or act as a trigger for the first episode include: Having a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, with bipolar disorder. Periods of high stress, such as the death of a loved one or other traumatic event. Drug or alcohol abuse.
Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and research suggests this is mostly explained by heredity—people with certain genes are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than others. Many genes are involved, and no one gene can cause the disorder. But genes are not the only factor.
Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), which is conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics, the study found that the estimated annual number of youth office-based visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 25 per 100,000 population in 1994-95 to 1,003 ...
The life expectancy for someone with bipolar disorder is approximately 67 years old.
Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.
No two people with bipolar disorder share the same thoughts or experiences, but there are some common thought patterns among most folks who have it. This includes cyclical thinking, manic and/or depressive episodes, suicidal ideation, and psychosis.
Can bipolar disorder cause psychosocial disability? Absolutely. In fact, bipolar disorder is considered to be one of the few mental health conditions that is highly likely to cause a significant and long-term psychosocial disability.
Interestingly, the number of mental health issues does differ from state to state. For example, Tasmania sees the highest rate of anxiety and depression -- at 21.6% and 18.1% affected respectively, while Queenslanders show the highest stress levels, with 27.5% reporting that they're regularly affected by stress.
They found that 12 risk genes for bipolar disorder were also linked to intelligence. In 75 % of these genes, bipolar disorder risk was associated with higher intelligence. In schizophrenia, there was also a genetic overlap with intelligence, but a higher proportion of the genes was associated with cognitive impairment.
In some studies studying the parental effects in bipolar disorder, the father's effect is also reported. In a study conducted with a large sample, the prevalence of disease was found to be higher in children of fathers with bipolar disorder than in the children of mothers with bipolar disorder (15).
Arguments with your spouse, chilly weather, grief — a number of scenarios may provoke bipolar mania or depression. Certain medications, seasonal changes, and alcohol could trigger bipolar mood episodes, experts say. Here's why. Bipolar disorder is characterized by unusual shifts in mood and energy.
Aside from genetics, a common cause of bipolar disorder is indeed a chemical imbalance, specifically malfunctioning in neurotransmission. It is important to note that the chemical imbalance caused by malfunctioning neurotransmitters can be hereditary.
While bipolar disorder can't be cured, symptoms can be controlled with an effective treatment plan. Are you struggling with your mental health? Call us today to get help. Bipolar disorder may worsen with age or over time if the condition is left untreated.
People who identify as being two or more races (24.9%) are most likely to report any mental illness within the past year than any other race/ethnic group, followed by American Indian/Alaska Natives (22.7%), white (19%), and black (16.8%).
How common are mental illnesses? Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States. More than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness. Over 1 in 5 youth (ages 13-18) either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.