Dennis Thompson, HealthDay reporter
Health Day
THURSDAY, June 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Bipolar disorder doesn’t have to be a lifelong challenge, a new study says.
Researchers have found that nearly one in four people with bipolar disorder ultimately achieves complete mental health.
Additionally, the results showed that more than two in five people became free of bipolar symptoms over time.
“Most of the research on people with bipolar disorder hasn’t focused on recovery and optimal functioning,” says Esmé Fuller-Thomson, a professor and senior research fellow in the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work at the University of Toronto.
“We hope that people with bipolar disorder, their families and health professionals will be encouraged to know that a quarter of respondents who had bipolar disorder now feel well, happy or satisfied with life most days of the year,” Fuller-Thomson added in the university’s news release.
In the study, researchers compared 555 Canadians diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition in which people experience severe swings between manic and depressive episodes, with more than 20,500 people without the mental illness.
To be considered completely mentally healthy, participants had to have been free of any mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, depression or substance use disorder, in the past year and report feelings of happiness and life satisfaction on most days of the week.
The researchers found that about 24 percent of people who were once diagnosed with bipolar disorder achieve such full mental health.
The results also showed that 43% showed no symptoms of bipolar disorder at all.
“Having a trusted confidant emerged as the most influential factor in achieving full mental health,” said researcher Ishna Gulati, a postgraduate student at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “Embracing spirituality as a coping mechanism and being free of chronic pain were also identified as strong predictors of spiritual thriving.”
People who were married, older, wealthier and had no lifetime history of drug or alcohol abuse were also more likely to achieve full mental health, according to the researchers.
Unfortunately, the findings also showed that people with bipolar disorder are one step behind those who don’t have it when it comes to their overall mental health.
About three-quarters of people with no history of bipolar disorder were completely mentally healthy, compared with one-quarter of people who had suffered from bipolar disorder.
“Even after accounting for a range of sociodemographic and health factors, people with a history of bipolar disorder still face greater challenges in achieving full mental health compared to those without such a diagnosis,” said lead researcher Melanie Katz of the University of Toronto’s Institute for Life Course Aging.
The researchers said the findings suggest that a supportive environment, strong social bonds and better coping mechanisms empower people with bipolar disorder to find a path to recovery. Managing physical health issues such as chronic pain can also help.
“Tailored interventions can help patients achieve not just symptom relief but overall wellbeing,” Fuller-Thomson said.
Source: University of Toronto, news release, June 11, 2024
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