Stonor Medical has chosen two Mental Health charities as its Charities Of The Year

Stonor Medical has chosen two Mental Health charities as it's Charities Of The Year, BipolarUK and CALM

BipolarUK

BipolarUK's mission is to empower everyone affected by bipolar to live well and fulfil their potential.

They are a small charity making a big impact offering peer support, support in work and learning, crisis support and research.

Bipolar Facts

• 1.3 million people in the UK have bipolar. That is one in fifty people.1
• Bipolar is one of the UK’s commonest long-term conditions with almost as many people living with bipolar as cancer (2.4%), it is more than twice as common as dementia (0.8%), epilepsy (0.8%), autism (0.8%), rheumatoid arthritis (0.7%) and learning disabilities (0.5%).2
• There's an average delay of 9.5 years between someone first contacting a health professional about symptoms and getting an accurate diagnosis of bipolar
• 60% of people say a delay in diagnosis of bipolar had a significant impact on their life
• 90% of people with bipolar had told their employer about their condition but 24% of them regretted making that decision.3
• 72% of people with bipolar knew no one else with the condition when they were first diagnosed.4
• 1 in 20 people who take their own life in the UK have a diagnosis of bipolar.5
• Someone with bipolar has a suicide risk that’s at least 20 times greater than someone without bipolar [6], which is higher than someone with major depressive disorder

And while it’s impossible to get an exact figure, these figures are very likely to be a massive underestimate.

The Bipolar Commission was launched at the Bipolar UK annual conference on World Bipolar Day 2021. The full report of the findings will be presented at the annual conference next World Bipolar Day (30 March 2022.)

Join us in supporting BipolarUK and help us make sure these much needed services get to those who need it by raising awareness of this charity.