Bipolar Disorder & Depression

Risk Factors and Co-occurring Disorders

Bipolar disorder is highly heritable, so having a family member with the condition increases the risks greatly. Researchers suggest that environmental factors and psychological factors arecan trigger the manic or depressive illness.

Risk Factors:

1. Individual having relative in nuclear family with bipolar disorder, then they may be at higher risk of mood disorder. One analysis of literature shows that children of parent with severe mental illness had roughly a one-third chance to develop mental illness by adulthood. Researchers also found that the earlier age your parent is diagnosed with the disorder, the higher your risk is for also developing it.
2. Individual who experience traumatic events are having higher risk to develop bipolar disorder. Childhood factors like physical or sexual abuse, negligence. Stressful events like losing a job, experience a death in the family can trigger the mice or depressive episodes
3. Individual who abuses drugs or alcohol are also at risk for developing bipolar disorder. Substance use does not cause bipolar disorder but it triggers mood episodes.  As substance abuse can trigger psychosis, individual may have to detox from substances before a doctor can give them a diagnosis of bipolar disorder

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