Epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in Edmonton. Mania

3258 randomly selected household residents of Edmonton, Alberta were interviewed by trained lay interviewers using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). The lifetime prevalence of mania was 0.6%, for both sexes combined. Lifetime morbidity risk was 1.4% for men and 0.6% for women. The mean age of onset was 20 years of age for both men and women. Ninety-five percent of bipolar individuals had had their first onset by age 26, and less than 5% had their onset before the age of 10. The mean number of manic episodes was 23. Comorbidity with other disorders occurred in 92% of the manic subjects. Depression (62%), alcohol abuse (45%), substance abuse (35%), and phobias (54%) had an increased lifetime prevalence in individuals with a history of a manic episode(s).