MedPage Today (7/18, DePeau-Wilson) reported, “While bipolar disorder is known to be associated with early mortality, deaths are more likely to be caused by external factors, such as suicide, than somatic factors, such as alcohol-related diseases,” investigators concluded in a study revealing that “in the cohort of people ages 15 to 64, those with bipolar disorder had six-fold higher mortality due to external causes…and two-fold higher mortality due to somatic causes,” when “compared with those without the disorder.”
HealthDay (7/19, Murez) reports the study authors “say this is due to a combination of external causes – such as suicide, accidents and violence – and physical health issues, with alcohol a big contributor.” The findings of the 47,018-patient study were published online May 1 in the journal BMJ Mental Health.
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