More bipolar people found in urban areas
United Press International - February 22, 2005NEW YORK, Feb 22, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Nearly 10 percent of patients screened at a general medicine clinic in an U.S. urban area were found to have a history of bipolar disorder.
Dr. Amar Das of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University in New York conducted a study to estimate the lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder for patients in an urban general medicine clinic.
The study found the prevalence of positive screening results for lifetime bipolar disorder was 9.8 percent and did not differ significantly by age, sex, or race/ethnicity.
"The high estimated prevalence in this clinical setting ... may be related to the low socioeconomic status of the population," said Das. "In a national study, lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder was highest -- 5.7 percent -- among participants with the lowest annual household income of less than $20,000/year."
The findings are published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.