Bipolar disorders gender

Gender differences in the age of onset of bipolar disorder were evaluated by Sibisi ( 43), who used the annual U.K. Inpatient Statistics from the Mental Health Inquiry. The cumulative inception rate was nearly equal for men and women, indicating that the liability is similar between the genders. Results such as these imply that the observed excess of middle-aged, bipolar women may be attributable to life experiences, a greater willingness to seek treatment, or other demographic factors. 

The lifetime population prevalence of schizophrenia is about 1% (Gottesman, 1989). In a landmark transnational study, similar prevalence w as found for schizophrenia in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas (lablensky and Sartorius, 1988). There is no influence of gender in schizophrenia, w ith w omen as likely to develop this condition as men. Males may have an earlier onset of illness, and a more severe course of illness. Some evidence suggests that the prevalence of schizophrenia may be decreasing over time, w ith few er new cases of the illness reported. The age at onset of schizophrenia is late teens to early tw enties. As in bipolar disorder, the onset of first symptoms after age 40 is rare. 

NMR has been used to measure metabolite levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal area of the brain in patients with bipolar disorder. The ratios of NAc, Cho and ml to tCr were measured in bilateral 8 cm voxels in 20 bipolar patients and 20 age- and gender-matched controls. The ratio of NAc/tCr was found to be lower in both hemispheres of patients compared to control subjects. The levels of NAc in the brains of 21 adult subjects (12 medication-free bipolar affective disorder patients and 9 controls) have been measured with NMR. An increase in NAc content was observed following 4 weeks of Li" treatment. This increase was observed in all regions studied, including the frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. 

I. F. Small et al. 1986), and in our experience the same may hold true for some young patients with schizophrenia. However, confounding variables such as age and gender have not been addressed in these studies. In patients with major depressive disorder, we found no relation between seizure threshold and unipolar versus bipolar or psychotic versus nonpsychotic subtypes. Similarly, Coffey et al. (1995a) found no correlation between initial seizure threshold and severity of depressive illness or the unipolar-bipolar distinction. Finally, we found that history of ECT did not predict seizure threshold (Krueger et al. 1993). 

The lifedme populadon prevalence of Bipolar I disorder in the United States is about 1% (Kessler et al., 1994). There is no gender prevalence, with women as likely as men to develop the illness. The prevalence of bipolar I disorder does not appear to be influenced by race, ethnicity, or geography. Similar prevalence rates are reported in most coundies, although large scale cross nadonal and cross-cultural studies are needed. The prevalence of bipolar II disorder is less well understood, but is estimated to be about 3-5% (Berk and Dodd, 2005). Needless to say, padents with bipolar II disorder may be less likely to come to medical attendon. 

In general, there is a positive correlation between SES and good things such as good mental health, life satisfaction, freedom from illness, and life expectancy. Exceptions to this are anxiety disorders and breast cancer in women, and more bipolar in either gender. High SES people marry later and have children later. 

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