Does Bipolar Disorder Get Better As We Get Older?

Two fascinating research studies have just been published, which at first glance appear to be a tad contradictory.

On September 2nd, 2009 we reported in the Bipolar Lives Blog that a University of Missouri study discovered that almost half of young adults suffering from bipolar disorder will recover from the condition when they reach their 30s. However, the very next day on September 3rd, we reported an Australian study which found that developing Bipolar 1 at an early age is associated with worse clinical outcomes. So is a young person who has developed bipolar disorder more likely to get better, or are they more likely to get worse?

Sarah Freeman is an attorney with manic-depressive illness, author of the best-selling e-Book “The Bipolar Diet”, and webmaster of http://www.bipolar-lives.com – one of the Internet’s leading sites on bipolar disorder. Bipolar Lives provides a unique blend of the latest research, effective bipolar management tools and techniques, and personal stories.

Here are a few things to think about:

(1) The University of Missouri study is unusual in claiming that people with bipolar “recovered”. The general expert consensus for many years has been that bipolar disorder is “treatable but not “curable”. It is possible given the high rates of misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, that the study participants did not have classic manic-depressive illness, but rather some other type of disorder(s) that were developmental in nature that they simply “grew out” of.
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(2) Also, as authors of the study acknowledge, the numbers may have dropped because people stopped being included in the statistics for more sinister reasons: “They could be incarcerated, they could be hospitalized and they could die.”

(3) Another explanation offered by the researcher was: “As people age, they get involved in roles like jobs and one commonly used treatment of bipolar disorder is having a routine”.

(4) Another reason is the difference in methodologies between the two studies. In the Australian study, the early onset group was aged 20 and under, and the follow-up observations were performed 2 years later. Thus, the study participants would still be much younger than the participants in the Missouri study, who start showing improvements from age 25 and older.

Key takeaway: As usual we need more research, and the research we do have continues to be plagued by major problem of unreliable diagnosis. However, even if the spike in young people being diagnosed with bipolar disorder is “real”, the evidence is growing that bipolar disorder can be managed and a positive, stable life is very possible!