Psychiatrists identify new phenomenon: 'I want to be bipolar…'

[Phyllis]

Psychiatrists identify new phenomenon: 'I want to be bipolar…'
Celebrities with mental health disorders have led psychiatrists working in London to identify an unusual trend – people diagnosing themselves with bipolar disorder.
By Nicky Broyd
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Dr Sheena Meredith
21st June 2010 - According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists about one in every 100 adults has bipolar disorder. Although, it says, more recent studies suggest the true prevalence may be as high as 11 in every 100.

Bipolar disorder used to be called ‘manic depression’ and as the older name suggests, someone with bipolar disorder will have severe mood swings. These usually last several weeks or months and are far beyond what most people experience.

Men and women are equally affected.

Public awareness of the disorder has increased in recent years as celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Kerry Katona and Paul Gascoigne have talked about their personal experiences of mood disorders.

Self diagnosis
Writing in The Psychiatrist Dr Diana Chan and Dr Lester Sireling who work in London say “We have noticed in our clinical practice a new and unusual phenomenon, where patients present to psychiatrists with self-diagnosed bipolar disorder.

“Recently, we have noticed numerous GP referrals to our service where the primary request has been for a psychiatric opinion on whether the patient may have bipolar disorder, as suggested by the patient’s own self-diagnosis.”

“Also common, but less so in our experience, is the patient who attends reluctantly at the instigation of family members who are convinced they have finally made the diagnosis that can explain the awkward or embarrassing behaviour of their relative. Both types of presentation were very uncommon until about three years ago.”

Dr Peter Byrne, Director of Public Education at the Royal College of Psychiatrists told us that just as in the 80’s and early 90’s the word ‘depression’ became more commonplace now people talk about ‘mood swings’.
“What we now have is a situation where people notice how they feel during the day and they call that mood swings.”

Byrne gives the example of someone who says they have mood swings because they may have woken in a good mood and then became very annoyed because they got a parking ticket later in the day. That, he says, is clearly not bipolar disorder, but it’s common use of a phrase which assumes an illness is responsible.

Bipolar disorder he says is a “very rare illness”.

Stigma
Explaining the phenomenon, Drs Chan and Sireling say in a news release: “The increasing popularity of bipolar disorder may be attributed to increased media coverage, coupled with the high social status associated with celebrities such as Stephen Fry talking about their own personal experiences of mental illness. This appears to have promoted the disorder as less stigmatising and acceptable to the public, a phenomenon that may have an evolutionary basis.”

It seems it’s not just patients who are affected by the stigma surrounding mental health, many medical students don’t view psychiatry as an attractive career option and believe it isn’t a respected specialty.

However, things may be changing there too as a new Scottish study, presented today at the International Congress of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Edinburgh, suggests that students who complete a short placement in psychiatry end up viewing the specialty far more positively.

Consequences of having a ‘celebrity disorder’
Chan and Sireling say patients who ‘want to be bipolar’ may not always understand the consequences of being diagnosed with the disorder. These range from declaring the diagnosis to employers and medical insurance companies, to the side effects of some medication used to treat the disorder.

However, the psychiatrists conclude: “It can be considered equally harmful, if not more so, to miss a true bipolar diagnosis. Current evidence suggests that bipolar disorder may be under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed.”