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Math and Bipolar Disorder

A 2003 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry finds that math may be the most difficult academic subject for adolescent students with bipolar disorder, even in the absence of symptoms.

  1. Bipolar Disorder

    • Bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic depression, is a chronic mental illness that involves pronounced shifts in mood and behavior. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, bipolar disorder affects approximately 10 million Americans.

    Episodes

    • Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating and extreme manic and depressive episodes. Manic episodes are overly energetic states, and depressive episodes are periods of depression.

    Math

    • According to a study authored by Diane Lagace, Stanley Kutcher and Heather Robertson and published in 2003 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, math is “the most problematic area of study for adolescents with bipolar disorder.”

    Cause

    • According to the American Journal of Psychiatry study, adolescents with bipolar disorder may perform poorly at math due to difficulties adjusting to the school environment as well as abnormal brain structures.

    Considerations

    • Adolescents with bipolar disorder have been shown to perform the best at academic subjects involving art, music, language and athletics, according to the study.

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