Even though Bipolar Disorder is commonly inherited and having a previous family member with the condition increases the risk of another having Bipolar...it isn't always necessary to have a family member with the condition - as there is no concrete evidence to support why Bipolar Disorder occurs at this current moment in time.

Nobody else in my family has been diagnosed Bipolar, though we have suspicions about my father having the condition (he refuses to see a therapist or psychiatrist of any sort) and I can certainly see hypomania and depression in him and different times.

The issue is, my family is old fashioned in most respects, and sometimes the condition just isn't picked up on...due to lack of contact with doctors and reluctance to diagnose people in their late years - even if evidence of a psychiatric condition has been present since a young age.

RB ♥