Is Bipolar disorder genetic?
Bipolar disorder, also named manic depression is a common mental illness that affects individuals. Any individual of any age or gender can suffer from bipolar disorder. Affected individuals experience the unexpected, undesired as well as the uncontrolled mood swings that make the lives of individuals difficult. The affected individuals are unable to handle their relationships due to their emotional intensity. But if you want to know more about whether bipolar is hereditary or not and can bipolar disorder run in families then read this article in detail.
Phases of Bipolar disorder
The word Bi means two and polar indicates two different poles or different episodes. At one time, they feel depressed while on the other hand, they get super excited and experience elevated energy levels with an extreme sense of happiness. They are unable to control their emotions and they face difficulty in each phase of life.
Manic episode
During this phase of bipolar disorder, individuals experience elevated energy levels. They feel superpowers and think they can do anything. Mania can be severe and affect the life of all individuals including children, adolescents as well as adults. Children face difficulty in paying attention to their classroom and don’t get good marks. Moreover, teenagers and adults also experience trouble due to the manic episodes of bipolar disorder which normally comprises the following common symptoms:
- Elevated energy levels
- Enhanced performance
- Talkative behavior
- Sleep issues
- Distractibility
- Intrusive thoughts
- Extreme self-confidence
- Jumpy nature or behavior
- Difficulty in making a decision
Depressive episode
As the name indicates, the depressive episode involves persistent sadness and fear. Affected individuals remain in stress for a longer period and therefore their stress also affects their day-to-day functioning. Moreover, they do not consider themselves capable of handling their relationships due to their persistent sadness. Some common symptoms of depressive episodes include:
- Feeling low or down
- Emptiness
- Sense of hopelessness
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Drastic changes in weight
- Excessive sleep or reduced sleep
- Sense of shyness or embarrassment
- Lack of passion for interest
- Suicidal attempts
Who is at risk of Bipolar disorder?
The onset of bipolar disorder is not restricted to age, gender any other factor. Both males and females can be equally affected by bipolar disorder. However, there is a rapid cycling of bipolar disorder in females. The occurrence of depressive episodes and mixed mania is more common in females as compared to men. However, if men experience bipolar disorder then their first phase is manic while in females, the first episode is depressive.
Likewise, the onset of bipolar disorder can typically occur at any age, but the major probability is at the age of 25 or 30.
Learn More: Bipolar Disorder in Children
Does bipolar disorder have a genetic component?
Different factors are responsible for the development of bipolar disorder. However, among all, genetic factors are considerably significant. There is not a single gene that is responsible for bipolar disorder as there are multiple genes that are linked with bipolar disorder. Genetic factors also elevate the susceptibility of individuals to being affected by other environmental factors.
In some individuals, the expression of just genes is dominant while on the other hand, a combination of both genetic as well as environmental stress factors causes the onset of bipolar disorder in individuals.
Different studies have reported the varied ratio of genetic components that can lead to bipolar disorder. Some researchers think that only 40 to 50% onset is caused by genes while some have a different opinion that approximately 90% chances of development are caused by inherited factors.
If any of your parents has bipolar disorder then there is a greater possibility that you will also have bipolar disorder due to the genes. Likewise, if any of your siblings is also having this disorder then you can also get bipolar disorder at any stage of your life.
Learn More: The Effects of Depression on Mental Health
However, the situation is not identical for each individual. It’s not essential that if any of your related people are suffering from bipolar disorder then you will also acquire this disorder. But undoubtedly genes are one of the major contributors to the development of bipolar disorder.
Furthermore, the ratio of bipolar disorder in children depends on numerous factors. The occurrence of bipolar disorder is 10 to 25% if just one parent is affected with bipolar disorder. However, if both parents are affected by bipolar disorder, then the susceptibility of the bipolar disorder symptoms gets elevated.
The incidence of bipolar disorder in identical twins has also increased. Identical twins share the genes therefore if one twin has the genes then there is a greater possibility that another twin will also receive the genes and experience the rapid onset of bipolar disorder.
