Autoimmune disease patients have higher risk for bipolar disorder

Key takeaways:

Patients with chronic inflammation were at twice the risk for depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety vs. the general population.

Mental health screenings should be integrated into care pathways for patients with autoimmune conditions.

Patients with autoimmune conditions and chronic inflammation may be at twice the risk for mental health disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety vs. the general population, according to data published in BMJ Mental Health .

“We have more than 20 years of research suggesting that there may be a link between inflammation and mental health issues,” Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots, PhD , of the division of psychiatry and center for clinical brain sciences at The University of Edinburgh, told Healio.

According to Mudr