Bipolar disorder affects around 5.7 million adult Americans each year, according to the NIMH. Bipolar disorder does not discriminate against age, social class or race. It also affects men and women equally. More than two-thirds of bipolar disorder patients have at least one close relative with the illness — indicating that bipolar disorder may have a hereditary component. The typical age of onset is 25, but symptoms may appear in early childhood or as late as middle age.
