Bipolar Disorder
Causes of Bipolar Disorder
Many factors are involved in the cause of bipolar disorder:
- genetics
-
stressful life events
- biological factors
- physical illness
- medications
- alcohol
- childhood experiences
These factors may differ for
different individuals.
Not everyone who has a parent with bipolar disorder
will develop the disorder. Nor will an upsetting life event universally
trigger an episode of depression or mania in everyone who experiences that
life event. It is probably better to think about risk factors, rather than
causes, for developing bipolar disorder.
The risk of bipolar disorder in
the children of bipolar patients is about 10% (10 times higher than the
prevalence of the disorder in the general population). The risk of having
either bipolar disorder or major depression is about 25%.
Diagnosing bipolar disorder 
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