What is Bipolar Disorder and is Bipolar Hereditary?
Although many of us experience the occasional emotional ups and downs, those who suffer from chronic mood changes may actually be bipolar, hereditary or otherwise. Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that produces episodes of elevation or variance of mood or cognition. We are going to talk about the symptoms and causes of bipolar disorder and why researchers believe this could be a hereditary condition.
Those of us totally unfamiliar with bipolar disorder may not see the harm in having mood changes, but this disorder is much more than a small change from happy to sad. The reality of this disorder is that the mood changes are often very drastic in nature. Someone suffering from bipolar disorder may appear abnormally energetic or “manic”. During this phase, they may be excessively irritable due to their elevated energy levels and may even have difficulty sleeping due to this. They may become obsessive or feel as though they are on a mission to complete a high-flying or unrealistic task.
The other end of the spectrum is just as extreme with the depressive state. Feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, and anger run rampant and often create physical fatigue due to an inability to eat or sleep. Someone experiencing the depressive state of bipolar disorder may have thoughts of suicide or even become so socially withdrawn that they rarely leave their home.
There is typically a period of normality between the shifts in mood. It can be difficult to predict how long this period of normality will last, as it varies depending on the severity of one’s condition. Some people experience a very short gap of time between mood shift, which is called rapid cycling, while others can go months in between manic and depressive states.
So, what actually causes bipolar disorder? Well, there are a few different possibilities when it comes to the cause behind this condition. One theory is that bipolar disorder can be caused by abnormalities in certain brain functions and the structure of the brain. There have been several tests involving MRI scans and while one test showed physical abnormalities in almost 17% of people with bipolar disorder, there have been a few contradicting results from other studies. This makes it difficult to form a final opinion on whether or not a mental abnormality is really a cause of bipolar disorder.
Another theory questions whether bipolar disorder could be related to the neurotransmitters found in the brain. The job of neurotransmitters is to relay, increase, or decrease the signals of nerve impulses. One belief is that having too many or too few neurotransmitters could be the cause of bipolar disorder. Another belief is that there must be a balance between the different types of transmitters otherwise the result is bipolar disorder.
Is bipolar hereditary? It is true that there are some genetic factors that increase one’s risk of being bipolar. Researchers have come to find what they believe to be a bipolar hereditary link. One method of testing this theory has been to test identical twins for the presence of bipolar disorder. The results have proven fairly promising, however due to a lack of test subjects there hasn’t been quite enough testing opportunity to confirm this theory. Other bipolar hereditary research has suggested that children who have one parent with bipolar disorder have between a 4 – 15% chance of developing bipolar disorder, while children with two bipolar parents are three times more likely to be bipolar.
There are many uncertainties when it comes to bipolar disorder.