NEW SURVEY REVEALS COMMON MISPERCEPTIONS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER MAY LEAD TO MISDIAGNOSIS IN CHILDREN

- Need for Greater Public Awareness and Education to Identify Symptoms Early and Begin Treatment -

CHICAGO, IL (July 28, 2003) - Aiming to gain a better understanding of the public's perceptions of bipolar disorder (manic-depression), a recent survey revealed that only 11 percent of adults believe the illness can occur at any age and only 40 percent believe it is hereditary - two common misperceptions that may lead to misdiagnosis in children. The survey was conducted in partnership with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and announced Friday at the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) annual board of directors meeting.

Leading research firm StrategyOne interviewed 1,000 American adults about bipolar disorder and key findings were compared with results from CABF's 2003 annual membership survey, whose respondents included parents of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder or parents of children who showed symptoms of the illness. The differences in findings indicate a gap in understanding of the prevalence, nature, and consequences of bipolar disorder, as shown by the following statistics:

• Bipolar disorder can occur at any age: Of the 788 adults in StrategyOne's survey who were aware of bipolar disorder, only 11 percent believe that the illness can occur at any age, while 58 percent indicate it can occur only in adults. However, CABF estimates that more than 750,000 children and adolescents in the United States have bipolar disorder and can exhibit symptoms as early as preschool.
• Bipolar disorder is hereditary: While only 40 percent of Americans recognized bipolar disorder as a hereditary condition, the majority identified illnesses such as breast cancer (60 percent), coronary heart disease (67 percent), and diabetes (77 percent) as genetic. According to CABF bipolar disorder is a highly genetic medical condition that may be linked to chemical imbalances and structural differences in the brain.

"Bipolar disorder is a hereditary illness and the belief that it is caused by bad parenting leads to the stigmatization of children and families. While stress of any kind might aggravate the illness, most affected children are genetically predisposed to bipolar disorder and often develop symptoms without any observable triggers," said Martha Hellander, executive director of CABF.

Additional Misconceptions
Other key findings from those who are familiar with bipolar disorder reveal factors that might contribute to the general misunderstandings surrounding the illness:

• Only 16 percent of Americans familiar with the illness strongly understand the similarities between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. However, when asked the same question about the CABF estimate that more than one in ten children diagnosed with ADHD also display symptoms of bipolar disorder, 65 percent of CABF members were aware of the similarities. "Because ADHD is more common, both parents and doctors might overlook bipolar disorder as a possible diagnosis," Hellander said.

  Symptoms of both ADHD and bipolar disorder include hyperactivity, distractibility and talkativeness. Additional signs of bipolar disorder can include euphoria, grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, hypersexuality, daredevil acts, and suicidal thoughts and attempts, even in preschoolers.

• Only 29 percent of Americans strongly identify bipolar disorder as a life-threatening illness. Most Americans (57 percent) understand that the risk of substance abuse in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder is ten times higher than the general population. However, 72 percent of CABF members know that between 10 and 18 percent of those diagnosed will die from the illness.

Although many Americans are not aware of the severity of bipolar disorder, 82 percent understand that the illness worsens without support or treatment.

"The major discrepancies between what people believe and what research data shows about bipolar disorder can have serious consequences, such as adults failing to recognize symptoms in their children, which could lead to delaying appropriate treatment. The survey results indicate there is a great need to educate parents and doctors about treatment and convey the benefit it provides," Hellander said.

"When a child loses a year or more of their life to bipolar illness, they suffer major setbacks in school, family and the community. It is important to keep children on track for normal social and behavioral development, which begins with early identification of symptoms and treatment," she said.

About Bipolar Disorder

Also known as manic-depression, bipolar disorder is marked by alternating episodes of depression and mania that are not connected to, or are out of proportion to, life events. According to CABF, between 1 and 1.6 percent of adults and adolescents in the U.S. have bipolar disorder and more than 750,000 children under 18 have the illness. Most children are not diagnosed.

The frequency, duration, and intensity of the episodes vary for each person. Stressful events such as death of a loved one or a major move may trigger an episode. The two extremes of bipolar disorder are: Depression, marked by a nearly constant sad mood and a lack of enjoyment of life. Symptoms include change in appetite, fatigue, restlessness, feeling worthless or guilty, poor concentration, and thoughts of death or suicide. Mania or hypomania (a less extreme form of mania) may include irritability, grandiosity or elation; decreased need for sleep; fast talking or racing thoughts; hypersexuality; and high distractibility.

About the surveys

The omnibus survey was conducted by StrategyOne during May 2003. StrategyOne completed nationwide telephone interviews with 1,000 adults age 18 and older about their awareness of bipolar disorder. A total of 788 respondents who declared they were aware of bipolar disorder were interviewed in depth about its symptoms, causes, and the effects of treatment. The findings within each of the population segments include a margin of sampling error of ± 3.1 percentage points for the larger segment and ± 3.5 points for the smaller segment.

CABF included the same questions in its 2003 annual membership survey to acquire comparative results.CABF emailed the survey to 9,645 of its members and conducted all survey research and analysis during June 2003. CABF received 1,862 responses from members of whom 1,526 (83 percent) stated that they are parents of children who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

About CABF
CABF is the only national, not-for-profit organization devoted solely to education, support, and advocacy for families raising children with bipolar disorder. CABF educates families, professionals, and the public about pediatric bipolar disorders; supports families to maximize the well-being of the child while minimizing the adverse impact of bipolar disorders on the family; and advocates for increased services to families and research on the nature, causes, and treatment of bipolar disorders in the young.

CABF's web site, www.bpkids.org, offers an extensive library, listings of research studies open to children, message boards, chat rooms, a database of doctors, free online support groups, a gallery of children's art, and more.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (AZN: NYSE) is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $17.8 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anesthesia (including pain management), cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $9.3 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/