True or false?
It’s estimated that 4-6 % of the US population has bipolar disorder.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Hmmm.
It’s true! Old statistics basically used Bipolar I as a criterion for the 1-2% estimate of people with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is now seen as a spectrum all the way from cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), to bipolar II (bipolar disorder with hypomania) and finally Bipolar I- with full blown mania.
I’ve always known that the 1-2% numbers were way too low just from my own experiences. Everywhere I go, someone knows someone with bipolar disorder.
Now you know why the numbers are so different depending on what you read. I think that the more realistic 4-6 % will be used a lot more in the future.
Julie
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