Comorbidities

So what are comorbidities? Comorbidities are conditions that have been found to often overlap a primary condition. Unfortunately there are quite a few for bipolar disorder.

The percentage of people with bipolar disorder who also have an anxiety disorder is very high: 43% to be precise. These include panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, other phobias, PTSD and OCD.

Eating disorders, which are also a form of mental illness, have a high rate of comorbity with bipolar disorder. Between 6 and 18% of people with bipolar have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or hyperphagia (compulsive eating).

Addiction, whether to substances or behavioural, also has a high comorbity with bipolar disorder. Many people with bipolar disorder are addicted to alcohol, cigarettes or cannabis, which I will explore further in my future post on addiction.

People with bipolar disorder suffer from migraine more often than those without; 31% compared to 6% in the control group. Migraines are also linked with more frequent and severe depression among those with bipolar disorder.

Other physical comorbidities include thyroid illness, high blood pressure, obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Some of these may be impacted by a sedentary lifestyle due to depression, and emotional overeating or overeating due to medication.

There are a lot of both physical and mental comorbidities with bipolar disorder, but luckily they can mostly be treated, whether with medication or with therapy, or they can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle.