UCD researchers have found schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are serious mental illnesses that affect about 65 million people worldwide. These illnesses usually emerge in early adulthood but by the time they’re diagnosed, there’s often already a lot of disability.
The study for all 60,000 people born in England in 1987, from birth to age 28, the researchers found that 15% of all adolescents who attended outpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and 37% of all adolescents who had spent time in a CAMHS inpatient unit were diagnosed with psychosis or bipolar disorder, by the time they were 28 years old.
The paper highlights incredible opportunities for early intervention and prevention in CAMHS and shows the importance of investing in and developing expertise in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia within CAMHS.