Bipolar Disorder: Prognosis and Life Expectancy
Nearly 10 million people only in United States suffer from bipolar disorder which involves periodic episodes of depression and mania. Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness which requires lifelong treatment including therapy and medications. Fortunately, bipolar disorder mostly offers positive prognosis if a person is getting proper treatment. However, some people with bipolar disorder are at a higher risk of young death in comparison to the healthy individuals of their age. Positive prognosis depends upon a variety of factors like the time of diagnosis, presence of other healthy issues, and the severity of bipolar disorder symptoms.
Often, young people get the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Most of the people discover bipolar disorder in their late teens or in early adulthood years. However, bipolar disorder is an incurable and lifelong mental illness but you can manage the symptoms successfully with appropriate medications including mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. In addition to medications, therapy as well as some sort of counseling also helps in the management of bipolar disorder symptoms. The researchers also describe that the prognosis of bipolar disorder might depend on the type of bipolar disorder you are suffering from.
Bipolar I is one of the most severe type of bipolar disorder which causes intense episodes of depression and mania that might require hospitalization. Almost 70 to 80% of bipolar disorder I patients get successful treatments. While 20 to 30% suffer from the continuation of symptoms like mood swings and experience more trouble in keeping their jobs as well as maintaining relationships.
Bipolar II is somehow less severe than bipolar I with no intense manic episodes. The treatment for bipolar disorder is 85% effective for this type of bipolar disorder. However, almost 15% of the bipolar disorder patients continue to experience the symptoms. The studies indicate that nearly 5 to 15% of bipolar II patients might go through rapid cycling between depression and mania. Any complication in the symptoms results in a bad prognosis.
In addition, certain factors like having another mental health disorder also affect the prognosis of bipolar disorders. Any mental health issue like an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or stressful event can cause a poorer prognosis of bipolar disorder. Patients with mental health problems along with bipolar disorder have a greater possibility of relapse than individuals without any co-occurring conditions. People having bipolar disorder are generally at higher risk for attempting suicide. Almost 10 to 17% of the bipolar disorder patients annually commit suicide and numerous others attempt it.
Mental health specialists often suggest medications even when a person’s symptoms start toning down in order to avoid relapse. However, few people having bipolar disorder do not like to take any medication particularly when they are feeling normal. Some of the bipolar disorder patients seek for treatment that does not involve any medication and opt for an alternative treatment which is a noninvasive procedure to stimulate nerve cells properly in the brain. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is of the noninvasive methods to stimulate nerve cells without taking any medication. [11]