Despite over a third (34 per cent) having direct experience with bipolar disorder, 50 per cent of the British public couldn’t correctly identify the condition in Rethink Mental Illness research undertaken in the run-up to this year’s World Bipolar Day on 31 March.
While common symptoms can include depression, extreme lethargy, mania, and overactivity, almost a fifth of respondents were unable to spot a single symptom, whereas others mistook traits for different mental health conditions. Bipolar disorder affects around one in every 100 people in the UK, and can manifest itself in many different ways. Forty-four per cent of respondents correctly noted that living with bipolar disorder often results in heightened mood swings, but 32 per cent wrongly believed that it led individuals to have two entirely separate personalities.
Rethink Mental Illness’s research showed that 72 per cent were unaware bipolar disorder could lead to people saying things that were out of character, and a similar number that the illness could lead to compulsive actions, such as out-ofcontrol spending, or putting oneself at risk of harm. Almost a fifth were unable to identify a single symptom, rising to almost a third in those over 55.