Bipolar Affective Disorder and older Adults (BADAS) Study

Large numbers of persons with severe mental illness are living to later life for the first time in human history. This includes bipolar disorder (BD), an often severe and disabling psychiatric condition that afflicts roughly 75,000 Canadians 50+ years of age (based census data and prevalence estimates). At present, BD may account for 20% of all mood disorders among older adults. Moreover, BD accounts for a sizeable and growing proportion of the $45 billion annual cost of mental illness in Canada. Yet despite growing costs and numbers, social science research specific to older adults with BD is virtually nonexistent.