Women who suffer from the mental health disorder bipolar disease are at risk of dying significantly earlier than other people, a new study has revealed. The researchers at Stanford University found that women whose wellness is affected by bipolar disorder die around nine years earlier than most people, and men who suffer from bipolar disorder are likely to die around eight and a half years earlier than other people.
Researchers identified numerous reasons why their wellbeing was likely to be affected in this way, including links with heart disease, COPD, diabetes, pneumonia, influenza, unintentional injuries as well as suicide. Cancer was also a factor in many women with bipolar disorder. Results of the survey were published in a journal called JAMA Psychiatry.
Scientists looked at data from a Swedish study which examined 6.5 million adults, 6,618 of whom were suffering from bipolar disorder.
Women who have bipolar disorder were found to be twice as likely to die from cancer as those who did not have bipolar disorder. Women were also at increased risk of suicide as they were 10 times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. Men followed closely behind, being 8 times more likely to commit suicide due to bipolar disorder than people who do not have bipolar disorder.
Normal death rates sit at around 14 deaths per 1,000 people in the general population, but when just looking at data from those with bipolar disorder, the rates were more than double this. There were strong links to diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, pneumonia, flu and diabetes in these cases.
It had commonly been believed that increased rates of mortality amongst those with bipolar disorder were simply down to increased rates of suicide, but the study observed that although this was a risk factor, it was not the entire picture by any means.