View Full Version : What's the proportion of people with bipolar disorder that develop dementia?
HelmutFL
Jan 28, 2011, 01:52 PM
And in the general population?
tickle
Jan 28, 2011, 01:55 PM
Your question is really out in left field. I don't know if anyone has done a study on those odds. Why do you ask.
In my line of work, and the diagnoses I receive on my clients, there is no bipolar in the history of my clients that have dementia. Does that answer your question ?
HelmutFL
Jan 28, 2011, 04:36 PM
I´ve seen in some studies that bipolar patients are more likely to develop dementia and correlations between manic and depressive episodes with it. But I´d like to know how much this is. I´m thinking about stopping my medication, so I ask.
tickle
Jan 28, 2011, 05:48 PM
[B]HelmutFL does not find this helpful : No academic study was reported. [/B
Of course there was no academic study reported, because I said don't think one has been done.
You should not discontinue your meds without asking your doctor.
Please don't use the comments feature, use the reply feature.
Tick
DrBill100
Jan 29, 2011, 12:08 AM
And in the general population?
Bipolar Disorder BPD / Dementia OBS
Epidemiology doesn't exist. No connectivity of the conditions has been scientifically established.
You are correct however that an association has been advanced and publicized.
As example, a 2004 study concluded that “On average, the risk of dementia seems to increase with the number of episodes in depressive and bipolar affective disorders.” (see Kessing & Andersen (http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/39/24/31.2.full)) .
Subsequently, a French study from 2008 lends some support, albeit indirect, to the tenusous interrelationship. (see Lebert, etal (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19081458)).
Alternatively, others advance that the seeming sequential progression in cases is misleading and better explained by a discrete syndrome. (i.e. Beckham, clinical observation (http://drbeckham.blogspot.com/2011/01/can-bipolar-disorder-cause-dementia.html).
To date, and to my knowledge, no persuasive evidence exists to connect BPD to OBS.
Hopefully, the above resources will address, or direct you to, resources satisfying your personal judgment.
As a personal aside I believe you are mistaken in eschewing the advice of tick (above) based on failure to provide an academic justification/citation. Those involved in the treatment field (clinicians) should be assigned particular importance because they are the ones that deal with the reality of illness daily, in real time, with real people. Please don't discount that.
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