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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's estimated that about 1 percent of the population has bipolar disorder. However, some researchers suggest that bipolar disorder occurs on a continuum, and that many more people may have other forms of the disorder, pushing its prevalence as high as 6 percent of the population. In addition, some people may go undiagnosed because they don't seek treatment, because their condition is mistaken for depression or because their symptoms don't meet current diagnostic criteria.
Bipolar I disorder affects about the same number of men and women, but bipolar II, the rapid cycling form, is more common in women. In either case, bipolar disorder usually starts between ages 15 and 30.
Factors that may increase the risk of developing bipolar disorder include:
- Having other biological family members with bipolar disorder
- Periods of high stress
- Drug abuse
- Major life changes, such as the death of a loved one
