AS part of World Mental Health Day (today) experts in bipolar have announced that successive failings in government policy could have led to a significant reduction in the quality of care for those living with bipolar in the UK.
Despite vast improvements in key areas of mental health, the average age for people to get a diagnosis of bipolar is 34 if someone was diagnosed within the past five years, compared to 26 if someone was diagnosed 30 or more years ago.
“It is shocking that today people are living with undiagnosed bipolar for longer than when the charity was formed 40 years ago,” said Simon Kitchen, CEO of leading charity Bipolar UK.
“The current average delay to diagnosis is 9.5 years. That’s nearly a lost decade where people struggle with confusing symptoms without getting the vital bipolar-specific treatment and support they need.
“This delay is having catastrophic consequences, with the Bipolar Commission finding that more than a third of the 2,458 people surveyed had attempted suicide because of this delay. This is backed up by research which shows that ‘time to treatment’ is significantly associated with hospitalisations and lifetime suicide attempts.”
It is well established that bipolar has the highest risk of suicide of any mental health condition, yet it is only mentioned once in the Government’s recently published national suicide prevention strategy.
Kitchen, added, “Since Bipolar UK was founded as a charity 40 years ago, we have never stopped campaigning on behalf of those living with bipolar and their families.
“To help prevent the high rate of suicide in those with bipolar and to reduce this unacceptable waiting time for a diagnosis, we are currently campaigning for the Government to commit to prioritising bipolar in the implementation of their national suicide prevention strategy and to commit to reducing the average delay to diagnosis to five year within five years.”
The Bipolar Commission’s Bipolar Minds Matter report launched in parliament in November 2022 includes several recommendations that experts in bipolar and clinicians believe will reduce diagnosis time, improve the quality of life and reduce the high risk of suicide for those living with bipolar.
Kitchen added; “The current care system for bipolar is broken, resulting in an ineffective and inaccurate pathway to diagnosis.
“It is shocking that diagnosis delays are worse now than when Bipolar UK was founded 40 years ago.
“Although we are providing as much support as we can, we desperately need the government to sit up and take action before we lose even more people to suicide.”
Meanwhile, local mental health campaigner Mark Moran, aged 50 who has battled with bipolar for many years, said: “There are a number of types of Bipolar and misdiagnosis is a particular issue. From being called a “crackpot”, “narcissist” and other choice descriptions too.
“I first experienced issues with my mental health back in 1994 when I became depressed and suicidal.
“Since then I have experienced severe highs and lows that caused the family to think it was more than a depression.
“In 2005, a locum consultant shared the term Bipolar with me and said that he thought I fit the criteria. After a few more years of back and to discussions, I had the unfortunate experience of becoming an inpatient at the Priory in Hale Barns in 2009. Again I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and put on a medication regimen.
“When I came back into NHS care I was told that it was not Bipolar 1 but suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
“Finally in 2016, after losing my brother to suicide (who also had Bipolar) I finally got the help I needed through a third opinion from an out-of-area specialist clinic at the Manchester Infirmary.
Mark Moran
Mark added: “After a six-hour intense family review with the team, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and Borderline Personality Disorder thrown in for good measure!
“Whilst I was alleviated that I had got the correct diagnosis after 22 years of massive ups and downs, I only ever wanted the “badge”, so it gave me access to the proper medication; for me, this was Lithium, along with an antipsychotic and an anti-depressant.
“As with many other mental illnesses you learn to wear a mask to say “I’m fine” when realistically you are dying inside. Mental illness, particularly Bipolar, wrecks lives not only for the person but more so for their loved ones and others affected by the person’s actions.
“In my experience it’s easier to be managed in a depressive state rather than a manic one so it feels this is where treatment is aimed at. In reality, its a life of daily and sometimes hourly mood changes, from euphoria to devastation.
“Only 10% of marriages where one or both partners have Bipolar, last the distance. The impact is real and devastating.
“It’s great that we have World Mental Health Day to highlight this and other mental health issues. However, the reality is over a million people in the UK endure this severe disability 365 days a year (not mentioning leap years!)”
Bipolar UK has a 20-minute free e-learning course for those wanting to learn more about the condition and a mood disorder questionnaire to help anyone who thinks they might have the condition get the support they need and receive a quicker diagnosis.
To find out more about Bipolar UK’s peer support services please visit: www.bipolaruk.org/get-support
To find out more about Bipolar UK’s 40th birthday celebrations please visit: www.bipolaruk.org/40-years
