Bipolar disorder causes intense mood swings, as well as a shift in a person's energy and activity levels. These changes are so severe that they seriously affect a person's everyday life. This condition is treated with medication and psychotherapy. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIH, there is no single cause for bipolar disorder. Rather, many factors such as heredity and environmental factors act together to increase the risk for this condition.
Genetics
According to PsychCentral.com, bipolar disorder has a strong genetic component. For example, if a parent has bipolar disorder, children have a 15 percent to 25 percent risk for developing this condition. The risk is even higher is a person has an identical twin with bipolar disorder. Yet not everyone with identical bipolar sibling develops this illness. Thus, other factors besides genetics also contribute to this condition. Moreover, several different genes are likely to act together in order for a person to get the bipolar disorder, says the National Institute for Mental Health.
Biological Factors
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder with numerous abnormalities in brain structures and functions. For example, abnormal levels of such neurotransmitters as serotonin and norepinephrine are common among bipolar patients, says the NIH. For example, during the manic phase, excess amounts of norepinephrine can be recorder in bipolar patients. Raymond Deicken, M.D., and colleagues reported in a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in May 2003 that bipolar disorder patients had significantly lower concentrations of a chemical called N-acetylaspartate in the hippocampus. This area of the brain is responsible for memory functions. The authors conclude that the diminished amount of N-acetylaspartate is a sign of cell deaths and metabolic dysfunction in this area of the brain. Moreover, according to Dr. Marcus V. Zanetti and colleagues, abnormalities in both white and gray matter are common among bipolar patients, especially around fronto-limbic areas that are responsible for mood regulation. This study was published in the European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Journal in October 2009.
Psychological Factors
According to PsychCentral.com, if a person has a genetic disposition for bipolar disorder, a stressful life event may trigger this condition. This might include a divorce, death of loved one or loss of a job. A stressful life event alone without the genetic risk does not cause bipolar disorder, however. Alcohol or drug abuse can also increase this risk for the bipolar disorder but does not cause it.
References
- The National Institute for Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
- the Healthy Place: What Causes Bipolar Disorder?
- PsychCentral.com: The Causes of Bipolar Disorder
- "The American Journal of Psychiatry"; Lower Concentration of Hippocampal N-Acetylaspartate in Familial Bipolar I Disorder; Raymond F. Deicken et al., May 2003
- "Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Journal"; State-Dependent Microstructural White Matter Changes in Bipolar I Depression; Marcus V. Zanetti et al.; September 2009
