Quote:
Originally Posted by grizmom
Actually, a lot of research has shown that bipolar gets progressively worse over time, with increased episodes, more risk of mixed episodes, it becomes increasingly treatment-resistant, and there are less/shorter stable periods in between episodes. People with bipolar also lose gray matter faster than people without mood disorders. This is especially true with untreated or under-treated patients, but can also happen to people who are med compliant. Just some things my doctors have told me.
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Goodness gracious. I'm going into healthcare, and I don't think I would ever tell a patient those sorts of things unless they directly asked me. Let's take this one day at a time...
Anyway, we're kinda talking about two different things here, so I should clarify. Bipolar CAN get worse over time, but that doesn't mean that it WILL. What you're talking about is the severity and frequency of manic and depressive episodes. (I need to see this research for myself...
)
What I was talking about is baseline cognitive function, or how functional you are
between episodes. That shouldn't change much in bipolar disorder, whereas in schizophrenia, for example, it WILL become progressively worse with time.
That's what I meant when I said that bipolar is relatively stable... I meant to tell the original poster that the prognosis for bipolar is comparatively good when it comes to cognitive function. I can't speak for the course of the illness because I haven't read those studies for myself. (Maybe if I have time after I do my homework tonight...)