Depression+and+Bipolar+Support+Alliance

 Ø ** "Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: Bipolar Disorder Statistics." Bipolar Disorder Statistics. Google, 4 May 2006. Web. 16 Sep. 2010. []. **


 * “Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population age 18 and older every year.” (page 1)


 * “An equal number of men and women develop bipolar illness and it is found in all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes.”(page 1)


 * “ Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. ”(page 1)


 * “Bipolar disorder is more likely to affect the children of parents who have the disorder. When one parent has bipolar disorder, the risk to each child is l5 to 30%. When both parents have bipolar disorder, the risk increases to 50 to 75%.”(page 1)


 * “Some 20% of adolescents with major depression develop bipolar disorder within five years of the onset of depression.”(page 1)


 * “When manic, children and adolescents, in contrast to adults, are more likely to be irritable and prone to destructive outbursts than to be elated or euphoric. When depressed, there may be many physical complaints such as headaches, and stomachaches or tiredness; poor performance in school, irritability, social isolation, and extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure.”(page 1)


 * “Participation in a DBSA patient-to-patient support group improved treatment compliance by almost 86% and reduced in-patient hospitalization.”(page 1)


 * “Nearly 9 out of 10 consumers with bipolar disorder are satisfied with their current medication(s), although side effects remain a problem.” (page 1)


 * “Sometimes indiviuals may experience an increased frequency of episodes. When four or more episodes of illness occur within a 12 month period, the individual is said to have bipolar disorder with rapid cycling. Rapid cycling is more common in women.” (rapid cycling)(page 1)


 * "Bipolar disorder results in 9.2 years reduction in expected life span, and as many as one in five patients with bipolar disorder completes suicide."(page 1)


 * "Although bipolar disorder is equally common in women and men, research indicates that approximately three times as many women as men experience rapid cycling."(page 1)


 * "Up to one-third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the United States may actually be experiencing the early onset of bipolar disorder."(page 1)


 * "A gender bias exists in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder: women are far more likely to be misdiagnosed with depression and men are far more likely to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia."(page 1)


 * "Consumers who report high levels of satisfaction with their treatment and treatment provider have a much more positive outlook about their illness and their ability to cope with it. " (page 1)


 * "The median age of onset for bipolar disorder is 25 years (National Institue of Mental Health), although the illness can start in early childhood or as late as the 40's and 50's." (page 1)