Bipolar Disorder Office Visits on the Rise in Youth

The number of physician office visits with a bipolar disorder diagnosis increased 40-fold during the past decade.

Bipolar disease may begin in childhood, but little is known about trends in the diagnosis and management of the disorder in young people. Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, researchers identified national trends in outpatient visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder for youth (aged 0–19 years) and adults (aged ≥20) from 1994 to 1995 and from 2002 to 2003.

During the study period, the estimated annual number of office-based visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased more among youth than adults (25 to 1003 visits vs. 905 to 1679 visits per 100,000 population). Analysis of characteristics of 962 bipolar disorder office visits between 1999 and 2003 indicated that most youth visits were by males (66.5%) an…

Reviewing Author

M. Susan Jay, MD