What is the life expectancy of someone with bipolar disorder? Experts have established that living with any mental health condition reduces your life expectancy by anywhere from 7–10 years . The life expectancy for someone with bipolar disorder is approximately 67 years old.
The average age of symptom onset is 25 years old, but it can present earlier (during the teen years) or in later life (over the age of 60). Bipolar disorder can change with age but whether this change is more positive or harmful depends on a variety of factors.
In their analysis, mortality for suicide was 11 times more prevalent in BD compared to general population [16]. In 2009, Roshanaei-Moghaddam and Katon included 17 studies (N = 331,000), showing that BD were associated with increased premature mortality due to natural causes, mainly cardiovascular disease [11].
The risk of sudden cardiac death is remarkably high in bipolar disorder patients across the lifespan.
Bipolar disorder is associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of premature mortality, including not only suicide death, but also cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer.
Violence and aggression
Bipolar patients are prone to agitation that can result in impulsive aggression during manic and mixed episodes. However, depressed states can involve intense dysphoria with agitation and irritability, which can also increase the risk of violent behavior.
Childhood trauma
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions. This can include experiences like: Neglect.
Bipolar disorder has been linked to various structural brain changes, including most notably progressive grey matter loss in the brain's frontal regions.
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.
Bipolar disorder has been diagnosed in children as young as 5. When young children experience symptoms, this is called early-onset bipolar disorder. What are mood episodes?
Those of us living with bipolar disorder definitely have a problem with ghosting people. It doesn't matter whether it's someone we're dating or friends with. Unfortunately, sometimes we're even ghosting our family members.
Although bipolar disorder and dementia differ significantly, research suggests they're linked in some key ways. For instance, there's strong evidence that people with bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing dementia.
“Untreated bipolar disorder can worsen with age, with both the frequency of mood episodes and their duration,” says Thomas Scary, MD, MA, staff psychiatrist, Rittenhouse Psychiatric Associates in Philadelphia. “This is true even with treatment, but to a lesser extent.”
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).
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.
Being in a healthy relationship with someone with bipolar disorder requires not only careful management of their illness, but also setting aside time to take good care of yourself.
With bipolar rage there does not necessarily need to be a trigger, it can show up without warning and is always absent of reason. It chooses chaos, it's not the individual choosing to lose control. If anything, control is something we're desperate to have and that desperation only makes our anger more chaotic.
Individuals with bipolar disorder may have a heightened sense of self-confidence and a reduced filter in their speech during manic episodes. This can cause them to speak harshly and say things they may not mean or fully consider the implications of.
¹ Characterized by extreme highs and lows in mood, bipolar disorder can disrupt daily life when not treated effectively. Also, because the disorder can increase the risk of substance use, suicide, and other risky behaviors, it's important to diagnose and treat the disorder as early as possible.
Beka is one of our bloggers and her husband, Ron, wrote this post for our couples series. Read Beka's accompanying post here. I read somewhere recently that the divorce rate when one marriage partner has bipolar disorder is 90%.