Bipolar affective disorder is a potentially life-long psychiatric illness that is characterised by episodic disturbances in mood between symptoms of mania and depression. The lifetime prevalence is estimated to be between 0.3 and 1.5% with a mean age of onset of 21 years old. The attempted suicide rate is about 25–50% with completed suicide in 10%. Therefore, accurate assessment and recognition of this disorder is important.
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