We, the undersigned, therefore request Governments Globally to:

- Recognise May 1st of each year as ‘Bipolar Awareness Day’

- Reduce the impact of Bipolar Disorder on individuals, families and communities by providing education and awareness on the illness on this day, May 1st

- Eliminate the stigma surrounding Bipolar Disorder.

BACKGROUND

This petition of residents worldwide wishes to point out that all individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder should not be made to suffer the stigma surrounding the disorder and that education and awareness should be raised in order to eliminate this stigma as well as the burden of the disorder on the individuals as well as society.

To support this:

- Approximately 222 million adult’s worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder (3-4% of the population

- Bipolar disorder results in a 9.2 years reduction in lifespan

- Up to 1 in 5 individuals with Bipolar Disorder commit suicide (approximately 44 million)

- Bipolar individuals can go through up to 10 years of symptoms before being diagnosed

- Only 1 in 4 individuals receive an accurate diagnosis in less than 3 years.