I want to preface this post by saying I am not making light of any problems that Charlie Sheen may be having or any mental issues that he is dealing with. Nor am I judging him. There was a suggestion made in one interview that he might have bipolar disorder which he rather flippantly dismissed.

My reason for bringing Charlie Sheen up is not to weigh in on any speculation, but rather, use his symptoms as an example of the bipolar life insurance approval criteria and compare him to other TV and move stars with bipolar disorder, namely Jim Carey and Robin Williams. The criteria for life insurance approval have been posted numerous times and also appear on another website of mine devoted completely to bipolar disorder. But once again:

1. Someone who has not been hospitalized for bipolar disorder other than for diagnosis?
2. Someone who has not attempted suicide or had bouts with suicidal ideations? (Ideations become less relevant with time)
3. Someone who is compliant with their treatment, both medications and regular followups?
4. Someone who is leading a stable family life or social life?
5. Someone who is exhibiting a stable work life?
6. Someone who is not on disability for bipolar and does not have issues with drinking or drugs? If there’s a problem here, then the answers to 3, 4 and 5 are no.
7. Better approvals come if you are not on anti psychotic drugs.

I won’t pretend to know all about Jim Carey and Robin Williams, but their lack of activity in the news and tabloids would lead me to believe that they might very well meet these criteria. In the case of Charlie Sheen there hasn’t been a diagnosis so it’s hard to apply those post diagnosis criteria such as compliance with treatment and what type of bipolar medication he would be on if diagnosed.

What is clear is that if he is bipolar and was applying for life insurance he would not likely make it past 4, 5 and 6. There isn’t anything stable about his life and he openly admits that he has drug and alcohol problems.

Bottom line. When underwriters talk about stability, they aren’t talking about ranting and they aren’t talking about manic word salads or delusions of grandeur. Bipolar disorder life insurance is available at fair and affordable rates for those who have recognized the problem and are focused on dealing with it.