University of Greenwich: Financial devastation of bipolar – new report

Bipolar is a severe mental illness characterised by significant and sometimes extreme changes in mood and energy.

There are more than 1m people with bipolar in the UK — 30% more than those with dementia and twice as many as those with schizophrenia. Millions more are impacted through close friends and family. A previous report by the London School of Economics found that it cost £20bn a year.

This report, by Bipolar UK, is based on an 18-month programme of interviews, surveys and desktop research.

Paul McCrone, a Professor of Health Economics at the University of Greenwich, contributed to the report. He said: “I think, for a lot of people when they hear bipolar, they think of people who may be very energetic and high achieving.

“But many people with the condition are having a terrible time. It’s the poor relation of mental health conditions and receives less attention and resources than depression and schizophrenia, for example (both of which themselves need more of a focus).

“Because 56% of people don’t have a diagnosis, the latest figures from NHS England on the costs of bipolar don’t reflect the whole picture. The real problem could be twice as bad.

“We surveyed 865 people with bipolar disorder – average age just under 50 – and around 200 carers. We looked at the impact of the condition on people and asked what type of care would help.

“Psychiatry, psychology and nursing all figured highly, while 40% of people felt they would benefit from non-medical help, such as personal trainers and weight loss clinics. We need to raise awareness of the condition so that it stops being the Cinderella of mental health.”

At least 50% of people with a bipolar diagnosis relapse each year. Current estimates put the cost for someone who has had a relapse over six months at £5,553 compared to £1,765 for someone who hasn’t relapsed. This costs the care system an estimated additional £1 billion per year.

A quarter of respondents listed welfare benefits as their main source of income. The average amount of money lost due to unemployment was over £100K. Other work-related impacts due to bipolar include:

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the respondents had lost a job
More than two-thirds (72%) had not applied for a particular job
Over two-fifths (44%) hadn’t applied for a promotion
Just over one-third (35%) felt that they had been overlooked for promotion
Carers also reported that bipolar had held them back in their careers and earnings. Of the carers surveyed:

Nearly one in 10 (9.5%) had lost a job
One in four survey respondents had not applied for a particular job
Nearly one in five (18%) had not applied for promotion
A small but significant number (4.5%) felt they had been overlooked for a promotion
In the previous year, respondents took an average of 11 days off sick each year (almost twice the national average) and the number of days lost from work due to caring for someone with bipolar was an average of 6.7.

Professor McCrone added: “The number of lost leisure days due to caring for someone with bipolar was on average 49.8 – almost one day a week.

“Almost 90% of carers self-reported that their mental health had been adversely affected due to caring for someone with bipolar. This suggests that carers are using leisure days to manage their caring responsibilities, which could be taking a toll on their own mental health.”