Mental Health in America – Bipolar Disorder

 

Bipolar Disorder pic
Bipolar Disorder
Image: webmd.com

Psychiatrist Dr. Lester Sandman has helped people challenged by bipolar disorder and other mental health issues through his private clinic near Seattle for over 20 years. He now evaluates veterans in Palm Springs. Before entering private practice, Dr. Lester Sandman served as the chief of inpatient services with the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center Department of Psychiatry.

In the United States, practitioners like Lester Sandman, MD, work with millions of people in their efforts to control the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder. Patients with the condition experience “mania,” or periods of high activity, with intervening depressive episodes.

Nearly 6 million adults in America live with bipolar disorder. This number represents just over 2.5 percent of entire adult population. On average, the condition begins manifesting itself in patients at 25 years old. According to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, the U.S. has the highest rate of bipolar disorder in the world measured by lifetime prevalence.

Unfortunately, many patients with bipolar disorder are not getting the help they need. Research demonstrates that somewhere between roughly 19 and 22 percent of the bipolar population is receiving the minimally adequate treatment required for their condition.