Do you think there is a link between Bipolar disorder and sexual abuse?
363962
In all of my studies, which were all on my own time, not very many in classes, so perhaps there's something I'm missing. However in all of my studies I have never come across anything stating that fact .\n\nBipolar is not a psychological disorder it's a biological disorder that effects you in a psychological manner. \n\nFrom my understanding some people are more genetically predispositioned to have bipolar disorder due to genetics and family history etc. etc. \nSomething that effects the person in a big way, such as sexual abuse could trigger the person to fall into the depths of the disorder. \n\nSo long answer short, sexual abuse cannot cause bipolar, however if a person is predispositioned to become bipolar and have their issues develop over time then a case of high stress or discomfort such a sexual abuse can give them that extra push into the depths of the disorder.
643164
I was married to a man with bipolar for 12 years. Unfortunately, I had to finally leave him.  It started with figuring it out that he had a problem with alcohol.  I put him through rehab, and when he stopped the alcohol, that is when it became obvious that he was self-medicating to deal with the underlying mental illness.  It started out as depression, then severe depression and then progressed to the point that he could sleep for an entire weekend (other than eating and going to the bathroom). If we would force him to wake up, he would wake up enraged. He would scream, shout, kick in appliances, break things - we would have to call the police. Then he would disappear for hours and come back home like nothing happened. There were also other addictions and behaviors that were present. He would shoplift for no reason, became addicted to porn, chatting in porn chat rooms and eventually meeting up with the women for sex. He couldn't hold a job. He developed a severe dependence on Nyquil.  He had OCD behaviors like ironing his clothes ridiculously (even his shoe laces) and using an entire bar of soap when he showered.  OK, now my situation was one of the worse case scenarios, but just wanted to give you an example.  Bipolars are often really against getting help and taking meds too.  Often times, the meds don't even help much.  After a family intervention where we begged him to get help and he refused, I had to take my daugther and leave. My health was suffering and I would have been driven crazy eventually. It sure can be hard on a spouse. I hope your situation is nowhere near as bad as mine was.
563597
In the case of both my partner and I, I would have to say we were probably swayed that direction from abuse.  I can still consider myself bi, but she is strictly lesbian---she often says keep that smelly, pointed thing away from me.  And as offspring in a house where my mother has been a foster parent for many years, I have seen many kids come with sexual abuse.  Many females become either asexual/nonsexual while others become whores.  Males become \nhomosexual in MANY cases---or predators.  These I've seen way too often, recently, scarily eerie.  Sad but true.
119566
Those that are bipolar experience both manic and depressive moods that go through cycles with much "normalness" in between them.\nIt sounds like she was experiencing a severe manic episode when she was hearing voices and thinking that she was psychic.  The voices are auditory hallucinations and the feeling that she is psychic is a dillusion of grandure.  These are both symptoms of a manic episode.  Other symptoms of mania include euphoria (being in a really, really, good mood), irritability, grandiosity (thinking that you have special powers or that you "special"), feelings of heightened concentration, racing thoughts, increased energy, insomnia, erratic appetite, increased libido.  The grandiose delusions and the hallucinations are also symptoms of psychosis and occur when the mania is at its worste phase.  Manic depressives also go through a depressive stage which is basically the opposite of mania.  The mood stabilizers will help her when she finds one that is best for her but they don't start working over night and the patient needs to give them time to build up in their system.  Many manic depressives quit taking their medication because they are afraid that they will lose part of themselves, bur really they gain a lot by keeping what they have only being able to control it instead of letting it control them.  I am bipolar and have done some pretty extreme things in my manic episodes, including runnign away from home for a week when I was 17 and abusing many different drugs.  Bipolar disorder usually starts out as depression then evolves from there.  Some people only go into a manic or depressive phase a couple of times a year.  Others go through many througout the year "rabid cycling".  The best way to manage this is to stay on the medication.  Each time a manic or depressive episode occurs, it makes it easier to reoccur and comes back stronger the next time.  She should also avoid things that trigger her mania or depression.  Keeping a regular sleeping routine helps a lot.  Not getting enough sleep can trigger a manic episode and getting too much sleep can trigger depression.  Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions on this topic becuase it is something that I've had to deal with for years and have just recently learned how to control.
184257
Even when genetic, there is no sure proof that you or your siblings will get it as well, there is a certain level of self awareness that bipolar victims don't have, as long as you remain emotionally balanced and maintain high self confidence, I don't see how much of a possibility it would be for you to get it as well.
259935
Childhood depression and bipolar disorders.
387911
Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic depression. It's a serious illness, one that can lead to risky behavior, damaged relationships and careers, even suicidal tendencies -- if it's not treated. \n\nBipolar disorder is characterized by extreme changes in mood (poles) -- from mania to depression. Between these mood swings, a person with Bipolar disorder may experience normal moods.\n\n"Manic" describes an increasingly restless, energetic, talkative, reckless, powerful, euphoric period. Lavish spending sprees or impulsive risky sex can be irresistible. Then, at some point, this high-flying mood can spiral into something darker -- irritation, confusion, anger, feeling trapped.\n\n"Depression" describes the opposite mood -- sadness, crying, sense of worthlessness, loss of energy, loss of pleasure, sleep problems. \n\nBut because the pattern of highs and lows varies for each person, bipolar disorder is a complex disease to diagnose. For some people, mania or depression can last for weeks or months, even for years. For other people, bipolar disorder takes the form of frequent and dramatic mood shifts. \n\n"There's a whole spectrum of symptoms and mood changes that have been found in bipolar disorder," says Michael Aronson, MD, a clinical psychiatrist and consultant for WebMD. "It's not always dramatic mood swings. In fact, some people seem to get along just fine. The manic periods can be very, very productive. They think things are going great."\n\nThe danger comes, he says, when the mania grows much worse. "The change can be very dramatic, with catastrophic results. People can get involved in reckless behavior, spend a lot of money, there may be sexual promiscuity, sexual risks." \n\nThe depressed phases can be equally dangerous: A person may have frequent thoughts of suicide.\n\nhttp://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/bipolar_disorder.htm
599968
Hey, check out these websites for the symptoms of bipolar disorder. I am bipolar and these are some good sites. Best of luck. I hope for you that it is something other than bipolar.\n\nSincerely,\nTerry
14688
Well, it's not quite a disease, but it is a disorder. Bipolar disorder is usually diagnosed (if it's caught in time) in adolescence, but how people get it is not fully understood. I found this blurb of information from WebMd http://www.webmd.com/hw/bipolar_disorder/ty1019.asp\nabout what researchers think causes Bipolar Disorder.\n"The cause of bipolar disorder is not completely understood, but the disorder runs in families and may also be affected by your living environment or family situation. An imbalance of chemicals in the brain is another possible cause."
1092040
Maybe instead of trying to blame it on a disorder...talk to him and try and figure out what is going on.  It is amazing the effects of talking and openess and dealing with problems can have on a person.\nOh...and if anyone says it is bipolar and/or manic depression...it is not because the highs and lows are not that quick...one extreme can be going for months at a time before it changes to the other.\nGood luck....TALK :)
829753
I'd like remark about the comment "I have know 2 people who are bipolar, both who treat the disorder with Ritalin."  I have Bipolar and A.D.D. I take a separate med for the Bipolar (Lamictal) I LOVE IT!!  I take Medadate cd for my A.D.D. which is equivalent to Ritalin.  Not sure how the people you know with Bipolar are doing but I would think that when they go into their High Manic state they could harm themselves or someone else.  I know that until I was treated my Highs were pure RAGE so I can only imagine what could have happened if I were taking an amphetamine alone.\n\nWhat is Bipolar Disorder?\n\nThe exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown.\n\nBipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) is a serious, lifelong medical condition. It affects more than 2 million people in the United States. \n\n It’s a medical condition. Bipolar disorder may be related to a chemical imbalance in the brain, genetics, or abnormalities in brain structure. \n\nPeople with bipolar disorder can have mood swings, including depression (extreme lows) and mania (extreme highs). \n\nA period of depression or mania is called an episode. Individuals may experience episodes of depression or mania throughout life. \n\nEpisodes may be separated by long periods with few or no symptoms. To help keep bipolar disorder under control, medication is often taken even when few or no symptoms are present.
313891
I'm not aware of any such specific connection. Terrible experiences certainly lead to some powerfully encoded memories, which involve the amydala and the hippocampus, but as far as I know, early childhood abuse is unrelated to hippocampal functioning. Folks with hippocampal injury have memory encoding problems--and this is certainly not systematically true of individuals who have suffered sexual abuse.
886308
I've never heard of this sort of thing before. However, bipolar disorder has a genetic base, but seems to be triggered by environmental factors. Current thinking cites stress as a likely trigger, rather than a physical injury. So it is vaguely possible that someone could have a genetic predisposition to bipolar disorder and have it riggered by the car crash. But it would be emotional trauma rather than physical trauma that would be the trigger.\n\nIt could also be PTSD misdiagnosed as bipolar, which is possible, I suppose.
183181
You have sexual anxiety that stems from this abuse earlier in life.  You  need to not be afraid to seek professional help in this matter.  Seeing a psychiatric professional does not make you crazy, or weird... and it shows that you are ready to get past the situation.  Until you can bring the topic to the surface and accept it then you will have intimacy issues for the rest of your life.  Please do not be afraid to seek help for yourself, because every minute that you avoid it is a minute of your life that you are allowing the sick and twisted individual that abused you to continue to control your life!  The longer this goes on, the more you are relinquishing your life to this horrible situation... swallow your pride and act on this before you waste anymore of your life living in fear
778810
Far fewer people are bipolar than you may think...\n\nOK, so it's a mood disorder and a serious mental illness. It has a strong genetic component, but appears to be triggered environmentally. There are no diagnostic tests for it, just psychiatric evaluation. Most sufferers are not diagnosed until middle age, and it takes an average of around 8-10 years to get a correct diagnosis. Historically, figures suggested it affects about 0.8% of the population at some point, which makes it about half as common as schizophrenia. In recent years, bipolar disorder has become an 'in' diagnosis, and many more people are being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. As with ADHD, this fad may well pass with time, although for the moment many celebrities appear to be 'popularising' it.\n\nIt is characterised by episodes of severe clinical depression and mania or hypomania (for definitions of those, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_diagnostic_criteria_for_bipolar_disorder ). The extreme end of mania often turns into psychosis, complete with hallucinations and delusions. During manic phases, the person's judgement and perception of reality is severely compromised, leading to risky actions with potentially damaging consequences (financially, sexually and relationship-wise). Untreated, episodes generally worsen over time due to an effect known as kindling. Untreated Bipolar sufferers are at a very high risk of suicide: 20-25% attempt it, and 15% succeed.\n\nThe cycles in bipolar disorder are much longer than people generally believe. Anyone whose mood changes from minute to minute is very unlikely to be bipolar. Bipolar 1 is characterised by mood episodes lasting many months, while Bipolar 2 has episodes in the region of weeks to months. Rapid and ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder is rare, and cycles last days to weeks.\n\nThere are many drugs available to treat the symptoms of bipolar (there is no cure). These are either anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics (personally I take both), and the most well known of these is Lithium. Most patients will go through a number of different drugs before finding one that works for them.
54509
YES. Anger is often a key component of Bipolar Disorder. I have worked with many teens with bipolar and they all had problems with rage and or self-destructive behavior. Occasionally rage and psychosis manifest similarly. You should check with your therapist to see if he can put you on anti-psychotics/mood stabilizers such as Seroquel.
71762
No, Bipolar Disease is a chemical imbalance of the brain and it can never go away, but it CAN be effectively treated with a consistant regimen.  Many people really LOVE the High they feel when they are in the Manic part of the illness, that is why so  many people stop treatment.  \n\nThe Manic phase can make you feel almost superhuman, tons of energy, etc.  But This is a false perception as this get people into a lot of trouble financially, socially and in countless other ways.