Expert: Jennifer - 5/22/2008

Question
QUESTION: hi dear jennifer
i like to ask about life expectency of a patient diagnosed as mania   and he is on therapy since 10 years
how long he can live with or without treatment   and which kind of treatment is better??? pls answer me

ANSWER:    There is no real way of knowing how long someone will live, regardless of the situation - even patients who are diagnosed with cancer get an approximation of how much time they have left from their doctor. However, everything about bipolar disorder that I have read or learned from my doctor indicates that the longer a person goes without medications to treat them, the more the disease seems to cause a process of progressive degeneration across the different systems of the human body.  Of course, it is important to take care of oneself by getting exercise, adequate sleep, eating right, and avoiding bad habits and harmful behaviors.  But, most bipolars have had some experience with bad habits and harmful behaviors, and those who have, can have trouble with quitting them.  The fact that someone is bipolar doesn't mean that they cannot avoid doing things that are bad for them, nor does it mean that they cannot stop once they've started these things.  It takes work to keep oneself healthy, and even still, nothing will provide a person an absolute guarantee that they will live to a specific age or have perfect health always.  Having bipolar does mean that it's even more important for us to get enough sleep, eat right, exercise, and avoid things that are definitely associated with health problems, and remember that moderation is key.  
 A close friend of mine who was diagnosed with bipolar I when he was still a child, around age 10-11 years old.  It was the later part of the 1980's at the time, so the medications that were available then and other treatment options were limited.  When he was in his teens and twenties, he had used illegal drugs recreationally, had a poor diet, rarely saw a doctor or went to the dentist, and had a predominantly sedentary lifestyle -- in addition to the majority of that time period was spent without being medicated.  When he was medicated, it was for a short period, the longest being 2-3 months, and preceeded as well as followed by years without any meds.  Now, in his early 30's, he has memory lapses, difficulty with developing and maintaining relationships of any kind with other people, insomnia & sometimes hypersomnia during the fall/winter parts of the year, and a host of other secondary issues that stem from having gone unmedicated and not taking care of himself health-wise.  He says he feels as if he's losing himself a little bit at a time, and now isn't able to be productive even during his manic phases like he was before.  The only reason he hasn't gone to the doctor to start taking meds again is because he's afraid they'll tell him that there's a lot more that's wrong with him besides being bipolar - he doesn't want them to tell him he's dying, he'd rather not know if he is.  To me, it doesn't make sense for him to avoid doing something pro-active when it's still possible.  But, I hope he will change his mind about going to a doctor each and every day.  I know that my choice to be medicated has helped me in numerous ways, and while I won't say that it's always been a fantastic day or week since I started taking pills, I know that I wouldn't have made it as far as I have or reached the goals I've set, nor make it to those still waiting ahead without getting treatment.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: please  please  your answer is clear  but i need sharp expectations
a year  2 years
or 10 years  i need very much to know that
thanks

Answer
What kind of lifestyle does the person who has bipolar disorder have?  Do they take an active role to manage their health?  How old is the person at the time of diagnosis, and what age are they now?  Are there any additional medical problems that the person has?  What medications do they take regularly for any illness/condition that they may have?  

Please answer the above questions and I will try to get you an approximation that addresses the specific time period one can expect based on the average lifespan observed in patients with/without treatment information collected during relevant medical studies.