Bipolar Disorder and Depression Helped with Chiropractic - A Case Study

A case study published in the October 20, 2008 issue of the scientific periodical, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, followed the documented progress under chiropractic care of a 52 year old man suffering from bipolar disorder and jerky involuntary movements, chiefly of the face and extremities. He had chosen not to take medications for this condition. His disorder rendered him incapable of holding a job.

The patient in this case study did not seek chiropractic care for his bipolar disorder or involuntary movement problems, but rather for lower back pain and diffuse upper back and neck pain. He was also suffering from anxiety attacks and had 6 or 7 such attacks in the previous two weeks before starting chiropractic care.

A chiropractic examination on this patient showed numerous postural irregularities as well as abnormal muscle tone along the spine. X-rays taken on this patient showed a loss of the normal curve in the neck as well as arthritic changes. Similar findings were noted in the lower back region as well.

A determination of vertebral subluxations was made and a series of specific chiropractic adjustments was initiated. On the first visit the patient was asked to fill out a "Short Form Health Survey" known as "SF-36", which assesses both mental and physical status. The normal value for both the physical and mental assessments should be 50.  However, when assessed, this patient's physical status was scored a 57 while his mental status scored only 16.

One week after initiating chiropractic care the patient commented that his depression was improving. He described his condition as being, "more lethargic instead of suicidal, deep blues."  After two weeks of care he reported that he had not had any more anxiety attacks or involuntary facial movements. One visit later he was reassessed using the SF-36 survey, which showed that he had improved to 61 on the physical portion and up to 21 for the mental assessment.

After 6 months of care his mental SF-36 assessment had improved up to as high as 49, just one point short of the normal 50.  In addition, he did see significant improvements in both his lower back pain and his neck problems.