Bipolar disorder has no known cause, and no known cure. It's a scary thing to have.
Here's what we do know:
- Bipolar disorder is genetically inherited.
- Identical twins have an 80% chance of concordance.
- Kids with one parent having bipolar have a 10% chance of developing it. Where both parents have it, the chances are 40%.
- Half of all bipolar sufferers have a family member with a mood disorder.
To me that's pretty conclusive.
What the genes are, how they work and what they trigger is still being researched. - The genes alone don't manifest the disorder.
- Bipolar episodes are triggered by 'stressors'. These can include the death of a loved one, losing a job, moving house, post-natal depression, or things that appear more trivial too. No-one can define what exactly they will be, because everyone's level of stress in handling these kinds of events is different.
- Physical well-being is critical to maintaining a stable mood. Having enough sleep, good diet and exercise give a person a much better chance of fending off stresses that could otherwise trigger an episode.
- It seems that once the first bipolar episode has been triggered the disease can take on a life of it's own, not necessarily relying on another similar event to trigger further episodes.
- Seasons seem to influence the onset of episodes for some people, for example it could be more likely to have a hypomanic episode in spring.
- Neurochemistry plays a major part, although how it works is not yet known.
So if you've got the genes, you've got them. There's no test that can tell you conclusively. You find out when your doctor leans across to you and says:
"I believe that you have bipolar disorder, and you're having a manic episode right now."
Or you don't find out. Most people take a long time to get a correct diagnosis, if they're lucky. It can take a lot of personal struggle to accept it and then get the help that is available too.
I read stories about bipolar almost every day, most of them sad, some even heartbreaking. The many unknowns surrounding the causes of bipolar are the cause of so much real pain and suffering. But I'm always on the look out for the hopeful news, especially about the increasing amount of research and understanding of the disorder.
I have every faith in the teams of scientists all over the world looking for the causes, and therefore the cure for bipolar.
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