New Study Reveals Two Out of Three College Age Students Do Not Associate Untreated Bipolar Disorder With Risks of Substance Abuse, Suicide, Criminal Behavior

October 9th Marks First National Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day To Promote Understanding and Free Screenings Across the Country

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ - According to a new survey released by NAMI, The Nation's Voice on Mental Illness and Abbott Laboratories, two out of three of America's college age population erroneously do not associate untreated bipolar disorder with the risk of alcohol or drug abuse (66 percent), criminal activity or risky behavior (71 percent), and suicide (69 percent). In addition, 78 percent of Americans failed to name bipolar disorder as a mental illness, while 38 percent of participants could not name a single symptom associated with the disease.

These results amplify the need to continue public health efforts that support greater understanding of bipolar disorder. Tomorrow, October 9th, marks the first annual national Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day, celebrated during Mental Illness Awareness Week, to provide individuals with information about bipolar disorder, free mental health screenings, and referral to treatment for this disease.

Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness) is a biochemically-based mood disorder that affects more than 2.3 million people in the United States. Symptoms and severity vary, but the disorder is marked by mood changes that cycle over time from periods of elevated mood (mania), to periods of depressed mood, to times when mood is normal.

"The impact of untreated bipolar disorder on a person's life is huge," said Richard C. Birkel, Ph.D., NAMI executive director. "Early detection and treatment can prevent years of illness-driven choices that produce devastating individual losses. Bipolar Awareness Day offers screening, education, information -- hope -- for the millions of Americans living with bipolar disorder."

Awareness Significantly Affected by Age, Race, Income and Education

According to the survey, awareness of bipolar disorder is greatest (39 percent) among women aged 35 to 54 and college-aged students (35 percent). Both of these groups have significantly higher awareness than the average population (22 percent). Americans age 55 and older have the lowest awareness at a mere 12 percent.

Among African Americans, awareness levels are extremely low (10 percent) compared to Caucasians (24 percent) and Hispanics (23 percent).

The numbers are equally disparate for income and education. Only eight percent of those with some high school education indicated awareness of bipolar disorder versus 38 percent among those with some post-graduate education. Families earning less than $15,000 a year showed only a 17 percent awareness level compared to 32 percent for those households earning more than $60,000 a year.

Understanding Among Respondents Discouraging

While awareness of the illness seems to be growing with rising generations, the survey revealed little understanding of the symptoms, diagnosis or devastating affects that untreated bipolar disorder has on the individuals and families living with it.

Nearly four out of 10 (38 percent) respondents could not think of one single symptom associated with bipolar disorder. And while 38 percent of respondents correctly identified mood swings as a symptom and 15 percent identified depression, no other symptom registered greater than five percent, including prevalent symptoms such as changes in sleep patterns and appetite, suicidal thoughts, lethargy, anxiety and irritability.

The majority of Americans are uninformed about the potential for people living with untreated bipolar disorder to abuse drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, there is little awareness of the high risk for suicide among this population or the risk for those with bipolar disorder to commit criminal acts. The uncertainty surrounding these factors is more pronounced among college age students where alcohol use tends to be more frequent and accepted. Seventy-one percent of college students either do not agree or do not know untreated bipolar disorder is associated with criminal acts or risky behavior, 69 percent either do not agree or do not know untreated bipolar disorder is associated with suicide, and 66 percent do not agree or do not know untreated bipolar disorder is associated with alcohol and drug abuse.

"It's alarming to see such low awareness among respondents of the potential for people with bipolar disorder to abuse alcohol, drugs and to commit suicide. Conclusive research indicates 50 percent of those with untreated bipolar disorder abuse alcohol and drugs and nearly 20 percent commit suicide," said Mark Frye, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Bipolar Disorder Research Program. "It's critical that we increase awareness of the devastating impact bipolar disorder can have if left untreated to encourage greater diagnosis and treatment."

Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day

Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day celebrated during Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 5-11) was created to increase awareness of bipolar disorder, promote detection, and reduce the stigma and devastating impact on the 2.3 million adult Americans, approximately 1.2 percent of the population, affected by bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day coincides with National Depression Screening Day and promotes assessment through mental health screening sites across the country.

"Abbott shares in NAMI's commitment to educate people about bipolar disorder, its consequences and treatments through the first ever Bipolar Awareness Day," said Bill Dempsey, senior vice president, pharmaceutical operations, for Abbott's U.S. pharmaceutical business.

For additional information on bipolar disorder please visit NAMI's Web site at www.nami.org. To locate the more than 2,000 free depression and bipolar disorder screening sites across the country available on October 9, go to: www.mentalhealthscreening.org/locator/NDSDmap.htm

About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can be dangerous if left untreated or undiagnosed. According to recent statistics, as many as 20 percent of people living with untreated bipolar disorder take their own lives. In addition, patients have high rates of substance abuse and participate in behaviors risky to themselves and others. Misdiagnosis is still a common problem for people with bipolar disorder. However, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are highly treatable and manageable. Medication is an essential part of successful treatment.

Bipolar disorder often begins in adolescence or early childhood, with 90 percent of bipolar disorder patients experiencing onset before the age of 20. Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis is still a common problem contributing to 50 percent of bipolar consumers abusing alcohol or drugs. The average length of time from onset of symptoms to accurate diagnosis is 10 years. There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but with effective treatment and therapy, bipolar disorder is a highly manageable disease.

Survey Design, Methodology

The NAMI telephone survey was conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide and contains the results of 1,004 interviews conducted with adult Americans age 18+. Survey responses were gathered between September 19 and 22, 2003. All respondents interviewed in this study were members of a randomly selected nationwide sample of American adults. An oversample of 275 college students age 18 to 24 was obtained through a listed sample. In general, random samples such as this yield results projectable to the entire universe of American adults within +/- 3.0 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases.

About NAMI

As The Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, NAMI leads a national grassroots effort to transform America's mental health care system, combat stigma, support research and attain adequate health insurance, housing, rehabilitation, jobs and family support for millions of Americans living with mental illnesses. NAMI's 1,000 affiliates are dedicated to public education, advocacy and support and receive generous donations from tens of thousands of individuals as well as grants from government, foundations and corporations. NAMI's greatest asset, however, is its volunteers -- who donate an estimated $135 million worth of their time each year.

About Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories is committed to the research and development of treatments for neurological disorders. Abbott Laboratories is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals, nutritionals, and medical products, including devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 70,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Source: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

CONTACT: Sophia Patel, +1-312-751-3515, patels@fleishman.com, for theNational Alliance for the Mentally Ill; or Elizabeth Adams of the NationalAlliance for the Mentally Ill, +1-703-516-7993, ElizabethA@nami.org

Web site: http://www.nami.org/http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/locator/NDSDmap.htm