Social Cognitive Emotional Impact of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects the moods of the individual, causing them to swing along a continuum between depression (low) and mania (high). The result of this swinging is most often a significant functional impairment (mental and physical) for the patient. Such impairment, unfortunate in its own right, often causes other unfortunate consequences for the individual as well.

Social Impact (at work)

• According to a 2007 screening study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 42 percent of patients with bipolar disorder reported a marked affect of their symptoms on their ability to work.

Social Impact (at home)

• According to the same study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, more than 50 percent of bipolar patients reported having difficulty managing home affairs due to their condition.

Cognitive Impact

• Growing evidence suggests cognitive impairment among patients with bipolar disorder including mild deficits in several neuropsychological functions: attention, executive processing, processing speed, working and declarative memory.

Emotional Impact (with others)

• Research in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry shows bipolar disorder to have a negative effect on the social activities and personal relationships of patients, consequently resulting in a marked or severe emotional impact on the individual.

Emotional Impact (with self)

• Bipolar patients are often impacted by the disquieting ambiguity over whether they have caused their own illness and how much of a role it plays in their sense of self.

Considerations

• Complex treatment plans, and their subsequent management, are essential to identifying and reducing the negative impacts of bipolar disorder.