15 October 2024

Bipolar UK has concerns about the upcoming Assisted Dying Bill due to the risks it could potentially pose to individuals living with bipolar, a severe mental health condition.

While assisted dying laws would initially apply to people with physical terminal conditions, there’s the potential for these to broaden in future to include people with long-term health conditions or disabilities. This could include treatable, episodic mental health conditions, such as bipolar.

The risk could then be that, during a depressive episode or mental health crisis, individuals with bipolar could seek assisted dying instead of getting life-saving support and treatment. And a lack of provision for adequate mental healthcare and social care could push people towards considering assisted dying as an option.

This risk would not only apply to people with a diagnosis of bipolar, but also to the estimated half a million people in the UK who live with undiagnosed bipolar.

As a charity, we need more time to inform our position further. Going forward we will investigate these policy areas and consult with experts in the field and people with lived experience of bipolar.

In the meantime, the focus should remain on improving mental health provision for people with bipolar, ensuring timely diagnosis and access to specialist services that alleviate suffering and nurture recovery. Only then can individuals living with bipolar get the support they need to have good quality, longer lives.