Bipolar disorder: statistics

Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) is a mood disorder. Symptoms are extreme mood swings from high to low.

Bipolar is the fourth most common mental health problem worldwide after depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.1

In 2013, there were almost 4 million cases of mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, in the UK.2

In 2014, younger people were more likely to have bipolar than older people - 3.4% of 16 to 24-year-olds screened positive, but only 0.4% of 65 to 74-year-olds screened positive.3

Browse all of the mental health statistics

Our 2016 study 'The Fundamental Facts about Mental Health' follows a comprehensive summary of mental health research, providing a unique handbook of key facts and figures, covering all key areas of mental health.

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Bipolar disorder: A-Z Topics

Learn more about bipolar disorder - the symptoms, causes and getting support.

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References

  1. Vos, T., Barber, RM., Bell, B., Bertozzi-Villa, A., Biruyukov, S., Bollinger, I., ...Murray, CJ.. (2013). Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study. The Lancet, 386(9995), 743-800.
  2. Fineberg, N., Haddad, P., Carpenter, L., Gannon, B., Sharpe, R., Young, A., ... & Sahakian, B. (2013). The size, burden and cost of brain disorders in the UK. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 27(9), 761-770.
  3. Marwaha, S., Sal, N., & Bebbington, P. (2016). Chapter 9: Bipolar disorder. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R., Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.