The U.S. Is the Most Bipolar Country in a New Survey

Are Americans more prone to bipolar disorder? You might get that idea looking at the data from a new survey on the condition from the World Health Organization. The survey, which examined nearly 62,000 people in 11 countries, found that the illness occurs in roughly 2.4% of the population worldwide. But in the US, that figure was at 4.4%, the highest of any of the 11 nations, the LA Times reports.


The survey also reached some disturbing conclusions about the disorder, finding, for example, that 1 in every 4 or 5 persons with bipolar I or II disorder had attempted suicide. “Bipolar disorder is responsible for the loss of more disability-adjusted life-years than all forms of cancer or major neurological conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease,” the researchers said.


Putting it all together:
When we look for the cause of bipolar disorder, the best explanation according to the research available at this time is what is termed the "Diathesis-Stress Model." The worddiathesis means, in simplified terms, a physical condition that make a person more than usually susceptible to certain diseases. Thus the Diathesis-Stress Model says that each person inherits certain physical vulnerabilities to problems that may or may not appear depending on what stresses occur in his or her life. Durand and Barlow define this model as a theory "that both an inherited tendency and specific stressful conditions are required to produce a disorder."

So the bottom line, according to today's thinking, is that if you are manic depressive, you were born with the possibility of developing this disorder, and something in your life set it off. But scientists could refine that theory tomorrow. The one sure thing is, they won't give up looking for answers.