Life insurance with bipolar disorder
If you live with bipolar, you've probably been told, or assumed, that life insurance isn't available to you. That was closer to true a decade ago than it is today. For people whose bipolar has been stable for a good while, cover is often available, usually at a higher price than standard, and that is a very different answer from no.
What's actually changed
Bipolar used to be near the edge of what insurers would consider. Modern treatment and long-term stability have shifted that. What insurers look for now is a settled picture: a diagnosis that isn't brand new, consistent treatment, no recent hospital admissions, and life ticking along. Someone who has been well for years on the same treatment, working, with a consultant they see regularly, is a genuinely placeable application.
Where the answer is more likely to be wait rather than no: a recent diagnosis, a recent episode or admission, frequent cycling, or a recent significant change in treatment. If that's where you are, we'll say so honestly, and we'll tell you what tends to strengthen an application over time rather than leaving you guessing.
What insurers look at with bipolar
- When you were diagnosed and how long things have been stable
- Whether you've had episodes recently, and how severe they were
- Hospital admissions, and how long ago
- Your treatment, and how consistent it has been. Long-term treatment with regular monitoring, including medications like lithium that involve routine blood tests, reads as a condition being properly managed
- Time off work, particularly recently
- Any history of self-harm or suicidal thoughts, where recency matters most
- How you are now, and your general health
Honest about the products
Life cover is where the door is most open, usually with a loading. Critical illness may be available, with the same questions asked. Income protection is the hardest, and often excludes mental-health-related claims entirely. We'll tell you plainly which of these are realistic for you before you apply for anything.
How it works
A few respectful questions online. A private conversation with a specialist adviser who has this conversation regularly. Discreet checks with the right insurers before anything formal goes on your record. Then we handle the paperwork and keep you updated.
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Looking for something else? Read about depression, anxiety, adhd, men's mental health or women's and maternal mental health.