Can you function with bipolar disorder?
You can care for yourself, you can engage socially, you can keep and even be exceptional at your job. Sometimes, this high level of function is the result of successful treatment; many people with bipolar disorder can live full, rich, and productive lives with appropriate supports.
What can happen if bipolar disorder goes untreated?
When left untreated, the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder will often increase in severity and may lead to suicide; there is a high suicide rate for people with the disorder. When treated, it’s possible to control the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and enjoy a more stable and fulfilling life.
What is the life expectancy of a bipolar person?
Researchers at Oxford University calculate that individuals with bipolar disorder have a longevity rate 9 20 years less than optimal. So if a populations average lifespan is 75, a person with bipolar disorder is expected to live between 55 and 66 years.
What happens to people with bipolar disorder who won’t take their medication?
People with bipolar disorder who won’t take their medication, for example, often become manic and then wind up hurting themselves or someone else and ends up in the hospital. And watching this happen, as a loved one,is extremely painful.
What happens when a person refuses to take their medication?
And also unfortunate is the fact that when a person with a mental illness refuses to take their medication they almost inexorably get sicker. People with bipolar disorder who won’t take their medication, for example, often become manic and then wind up hurting themselves or someone else and ends up in the hospital.
Why are mental illness patients noncompliant with their medications?
There are really three reasons mental illness patients are noncompliant. The medication isn’t working and their illness convinces them to go off their medication. Their medication is working but the side effects are intolerable. Their medication is working, they’re experiencing wellness and so they think they no longer need their medication.
Is it possible to get off of medication without working?
But, the thing is, you have to get through the medication that doesn’t work to find the medication that does and going off of medication is not the way to do this. If the medication isn’t working, it’s time to work with a psychiatrist to find better medication that does work for the patient.