Health UK (Commonwealth Union) – Researchers from the University of Manchester and Keele University have identified strong indicators of bipolar disorder, such as other mental illness diagnoses, the use of psychotropic medication prescribed for these conditions, and specific healthcare utilization patterns.
Their findings, published in the British Journal of General Practice, offer valuable insights that can expedite the referral, assessment, and treatment of this debilitating and previously known as manic depression condition.
These early warning signs, detectable over several years before an official diagnosis, encompass a history of prior depressive episodes, sleep disturbances, substance misuse, the receipt of three or more distinct types of psychotropic medications within a year, a rise in self-harm incidents, frequent consultations with primary care providers, and missed scheduled GP appointments.
These revelations hold the potential to reduce the considerable delay between the initial manifestations of bipolar disorder and its formal diagnosis and effective treatment, which currently averages around six years.
The research endeavor received support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), a major contributor to global health research and training, and was conducted within the framework of the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaborations. The study involved the analysis of routinely collected electronic primary healthcare data spanning from January 2010 to July 2017, encompassing 2,366 individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and 47,138 individuals without this diagnosis in England.
This study aligns with the objectives of the recent Bipolar Commission Report, “Bipolar Minds Matter,” which calls for significant reform to establish a specialized healthcare pathway for tailored treatments and lifelong support for individuals living with bipolar disorder.
According to researchers of the report it is noteworthy that up to 3% of the UK population will experience bipolar disorder at some point during their lives. Many undiagnosed individuals face a range of adverse health and social consequences, including challenges with social adjustment, multiple hospital admissions, compromised physical health, interpersonal conflicts, and an elevated risk of self-harm and suicide.
Dr. Catharine Morgan, serving as a Research Fellow at The University of Manchester, indicated that bipolar disorders represent severe mental health conditions marked by mood instability. Their repercussions can profoundly affect both patients and their families. However, early intervention holds the potential to prevent years of suffering and heightened risk for patients. The study offers essential insights that may guide general practitioners (GPs) in contemplating a bipolar diagnosis at an earlier stage, facilitating timely, effective treatment, and enabling referrals for specialized assessment.
Anya Francis, a researcher at the University of Manchester who spearheaded the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) for this research and herself has firsthand experience with bipolar II disorder, expressed her motivation behind the study indicating that the research was born from the shared personal experiences of missing crucial opportunities to identify the early indicators of bipolar disorder and receive a prompt diagnosis. These early warning signs encompassed sleep disturbances, anxiety, irritability, and heightened energy levels. Her personal aspiration is for the insights derived from this study to be applied in primary care contexts, encouraging healthcare professionals to ‘Think Bipolar’ and thus improve outcomes for others.
Carolyn Chew-Graham, Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University and who also sits on the Bipolar UK Advisory group said: “Better referral pathways from primary to specialist care are desperately needed both for patients and GPs, when a diagnosis of bipolar is suspected, if patient are to receive the timely help they need. ‘Think bipolar’ is a strong message to send out to GPs.
“There is evidence that a delay in diagnosis of bipolar can be up to nine years, with a third of people who are eventually diagnosed with bipolar will have attempted to take their own lives because of the distress that they feel and the delay in getting appropriate care.”
