Bipolar Support Group

i'm pretty sure we die when we die. I'm not going to commit suicide ever, so.. if i die, i would imagine it would be of old age (unless some freak/car accident happens) Besides.. the life expectancy is just getting higher and higher. I'm only 22.. you know what the life expectancy for me is? its OLD.

At 22 I never worried about anything.

I'm years late, but for what it's worth, it's suicide, drugs, alcohol, poor attendance to illnesses like diabetes, obesity, poor diet and very slightly a greater cardiovascular risk and some related risks. In short: If you take care of yourself most of the lifespan gap vanishes.

I checked this all out in great detail earlier this year. This is a pretty reliable summary of what I found, from good sources.

Thanks for commenting on that Sparkerama. I think there are lots of scary statistics out there (like I saw somewhere that 90% of relationships involving someone with bipolar end in divorce) but it's not like it's a death sentence either literally or for your marriage/happiness/whatever. A lot of it is probably just the result of mismanagement or some of the behaviours we can do in our extreme moods, not necessarily that we are somehow doomed.

It comes down to whether we're working on our problems. If we work to develop coping skills, then the stress level is down, which is what affects the cardiovascular system. Also it helps us to relate to people better. Death is a certainity. We just have to focus on how to make this day better for us, our relationships, and our health. The rest takes care of itself.

I agree with all that has been said. My first pdoc told me bipolar meds shorten your life span by an average of 10 years.

OMG this is scary to hear....

I would really need to read about multiple studies that showed that having the illness alone decreases the lifespan. The added stress, lack of attention to other health issues, and so on that are associated with mental illness? Those I could see taking years of your life. But, especially medicated and on a healthy regimen, I really don't understand what mechanisms would be at fault otherwise.

So, instead of everyone saying they "heard" something or read a single article, I'd really like to see more empirical evidence that the illness itself affects the lifespan instead of things associated with it. I guess it's the scientist in me.

Post edited by: MadAsAHatter, at: 06/12/2011 07:56 PM

Its Because we have a higher rate of developing heart disease, and heart disease is a big killer.

pashmin4, do you have some articles I could read on that? Is the risk elevated because of the mental illness or the stress?