What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. It can include mood swings and other symptoms that can affect daily life and relationships with other people. There is an extremely high chance of inheriting it if a family member is affected, which implies that this disease is highly genetic.
Statistics/Facts
- There are more than 3 million US cases (2.9%) of bipolar disorder per year.
- The average age of onset of bipolar disorder is 25 years.
- Bipolar disorder affects roughly 60 million people worldwide.
- The severity of bipolar disorder depends on the victim and the type of bipolar disorder.
- Bipolar disorder affects males and females at equal rates but in different ways.
- A common misconception is that people with bipolar disorder go from happy one moment to sad the next - actually, without treatment, the manic episodes of bipolar disorder generally last 3-6 months, and the depressive episodes generally last 6-12 months.
Sources
- Mental disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from World Health Organization at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs396/en/.
- Hotline Information. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from Depression & Bipolar Alliance at http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_statistics_bipolar_disorder.
- NIMH- Bipolar Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from National Institute of Mental Health at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml.
- Bipolar Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/bipolardisorder.aspx?theme=mobile