Is Bipolar Disease Hereditary?
Bipolar disorder (manic depression) is seen as a gift and a curse among people who suffer with it. Although many incredibly creative people claim they have been helped by the manic phase, the inevitable depressive phase is so bad that many cannot lead a normal life or commit suicide. Bipolar disorder does run in families.
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Size
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It is unknown how many people with bipolar disorder there are in the entire world, but an estimated 5.7 million adults live in the United States and 4 million adults in the UK. If you have one parent that has bipolar disorder, you have a 15% - 30% chance of also having bipolar disorder. If both of your parents have it, then your chances have risen to 50% - 75%. If you do not know about your parent's mental health but have a brother or sister with bipolar disorder, then your chances are 15% - 25%.
Time Frame
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Bipolar disorder can begin to show itself when a victim is in his teen years, but often shows up when the person is in his twenties. It then lasts for the rest of the person's life. Some of the swings between highs (the manic phase) and lows (the depressive phase) are not as extreme for some people as others. Time periods between phases also differ from one person to the next.
Considerations
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It seems that events in a person's life trigger the manic-depressive cycles, although sometimes they seem to happen for no reason at all. Events that have been known to trigger bipolar symptoms include surviving a bad illness, grief, post traumatic stress disorder, drug or alcohol abuse or some kinds of antidepressants. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers and anti-psychotic medications can work differently for each person with bipolar disorder.
Effects
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10% - 20% of people with bipolar disorder commit suicide. This is a suicide rate that is 2% -3% higher than people without bipolar disorder. About 75% of people with bipolar disorder try to commit suicide. ("Bipolar Disorder" Muller-Oerlinghausen B, Berghofer A, Bauer M. "The Lancet" 2002). When in a manic phase, people feel immortal, act irrational, do not sleep for weeks and go on spending sprees.
Theories/Speculation
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Although it is hoped that the gene that predisposes a person to bipolar disorder can be isolated and treated, that day is way off in the future. Until then, if you know you have bipolar disorder, think very carefully about having any children, because the chances of them being afflicted will be very high. There is no cure for bipolar disorder.
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- Photo Credit British comedian Stephen Fry has bipolar disorder. Image from Wikimedia Commons
