Suicide in mental health patients with bipolar disorder

On this page:

• Number of mental health patients with a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder who died by suicide in the UK and Jersey
• Characteristics of mental health patients with bipolar disorder who died by suicide (UK and Jersey, 2012-2022)
  • Socio-demographic characteristics
  • Clinical characteristics
  • Medication and treatment
  • Risk of suicide

Number of mental health patients with a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder who died by suicide in the UK and Jersey

There were 1,491 patients who died by suicide who had received a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder, 8% of all patient suicides, an average of 136 deaths per year.

The average number in 2019-2022 increased by 19% compared to the average number in 2015-2018.

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Characteristics of mental health patients with bipolar disorder who died by suicide (UK and Jersey, 2012-2022)

Socio-demographic characteristics

Compared to other patients who died by suicide, those with bipolar disorder were more often female (658, 47% v. 5,351, 34%) and older, with more aged 45-64 (700, 50% v. 6,149, 39%). 68 (5%) were aged under 25 (the number aged under 18 was too small to report).

Overall, more were living alone (695, 52% v. 6,943, 47%).

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Clinical characteristics

The majority (1,017, 74%) had been ill for longer than 5 years, more than patients without bipolar disorder (7,254, 53%) but they were less likely to have a comorbid (i.e. additional) psychiatric (730, 52% v. 8,609, 55%) or physical illness (306, 23% v. 3,823, 26%). More had been recently (<3 months) discharged from in-patient care (210, 16% v. 1,943, 13%).

There were 18 (1%) patients with bipolar disorder subject to a Community/Compulsory Treatment Order (CTO) at the time of death; 39 (3%) patients were under the care of an assertive outreach service.

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Medication and treatment

At the time of death, most (985, 73%) were receiving oral or depot antipsychotics, half (716, 53%) were receiving antidepressants, and over a third (527, 39%) lithium/mood stabilisers. The proportion of patients with bipolar disorder prescribed lithium/mood stabilisers increased over the report period from 31% in 2012-2015 to 44% in 2019-2022.

Of the 527 patients prescribed lithium/mood stabilisers, 147 (28%) died by self-poisoning, more than patients with bipolar disorder who were not prescribed lithium/mood stabilisers (169, 21%).

Patients with bipolar disorder were more likely to be non-adherent with medication than patients without bipolar disorder (201, 15% v. 1,682, 12%) and more had experienced distressing side effects of medication (157, 12% v. 915, 7%), especially weight gain (29, 32% excluding unknowns v. 99, 18%). Fewer were receiving psychological treatment compared to other patients (162, 12% v. 2,296, 16%), though this was more commonly prescribed for patients aged under 25 (16, 28% v. 146, 12%).

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Risk of suicide

Both immediate (975, 81% v. 10,904, 81%) and long-term risk of suicide (636, 56% v. 7,205, 57%) were viewed as not present or low in the majority of patients with bipolar disorder, similar to other patients.

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