MATTE RELEASE--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Dec 2, 2002--College life has become increasingly stressful with students facing new pressures and life changes that can trigger serious mood swings. In fact, researchers report a significant rise in stress and mental illnesses, such as depression and bipolar disorder in young adults, as well as alarmingly high rates of suicide � now the second-leading cause of death among college students. (1,2) These factors may be of particular concern during final exams � a time when students are under intense pressure to complete projects and ace exams before breaking for the holidays. The intense stress during this period may exacerbate mood swings and, for the most vulnerable, even prompt suicidal thoughts. Students who have bipolar disorder may be most at risk.
Why? Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression), is marked by extreme swings from high (manic) to low (depressive) mood and often begins in the late teens to early twenties -- a time when many young adults are heading off to college and living away from home for the first time. Further, the stress that results from academic pressures may trigger mood episodes that can exacerbate bipolar disorder.
The reason? Some of the tell-tale signs of bipolar disorder � particularly the depressive episodes � often are misdiagnosed because some of the symptoms so closely mirror those of typical clinical depression (also called unipolar depression). If left misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, bipolar disorder can have potentially devastating effects resulting in harmful behaviors, such as drug and alcohol abuse and suicide attempts. In fact, the suicide rate for bipolar disorder is three times higher than in the general population, with one in five people with the illness attempting suicide � most often during a depressive episode.
�Patients with bipolar disorder on average receive three misdiagnoses and consult three to four mental health professionals over an 8-10-year period(3) before learning the true cause of their illness,� noted Dr. Joseph Goldberg, Assistant Professor of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. �Young adults who are under extreme stress and who have undiagnosed bipolar disorder may turn to drugs and alcohol to alleviate their symptoms, which can put them at even greater risk of harmful events, such as suicide attempts. Given the pressures many students feel during final exams, it is important that any young adult who is experiencing notable signs of changes in mood should seek professional help.�
Some of the key signs and symptoms that might be exhibited by a person suffering from bipolar disorder include excessive energy, activity, restlessness, racing thoughts, rapid talking, sleep deprivation, irritability, persistent sad, anxious, or empty moods, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of death or suicide.
According to Dr. Goldberg, �Any significant change in mood should be cause for concern, and young adults should take advantage of resources on campuses such as their college health center to help them through this particularly stressful period.�
If you or someone you know is demonstrating potential signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder, please contact your college crisis center or a healthcare professional to learn more about this potentially devastating, yet highly treatable illness.
(1) Stevens Lise. Adolescent Suicide.Journal of the American Medical Association. Chicago, Il,; 2002.
(2) National Institute of Mental Health. What Do These Students Have in Common? National Institute of Mental Health. Bethesda, MD; 1999.
(3) Goldberg JF, Ernst CL. Features Associated With the Delayed Initiation of Mood Stabilizers at Illness Onset in Bipolar Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 63: 985-991, 2002.
|
