Estimates of the treated prevalence of bipolar disorders by mental health services in the general population: comparison of results from administrative and health survey data

Informed provision of population mental health services requires accurate estimates of disease burden. We estimated the treated prevalence of bipolar disorders by mental health services in the Calgary Zone, a catchment area in Alberta with a population of over one million. Administrative data in a central repository provides information of mental health care contacts for about 95% of publically funded mental health services. We compared this treated prevalence against self-reported data in the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2). Of the 63 016 individuals aged 18 years plus treated in the Calgary Zone in 2002-2008, 3659 (5.81%) and 1065 (1.70%) were diagnosed with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder, respectively. The estimated treated population prevalence of these disorders was 0.41% and 0.12%, respectively. We estimated that 0.44% to 1.17% of the Canadian population was being treated by psychiatrists for bipolar I disorder from CCHS 1.2. For bipolar I disorder the estimate based on local administrative data is close to the lower end of the health survey range. The degree of agreement in our estimates reinforces the utility of administrative data repositories in the surveillance of chronic mental disorders.