You might be getting bipolar (bp) mixed up with borderline personality disorder (bpd), which has a very high childhood abuse rate I think. Bipolar is generally genetic with more physical, obvious brain differences; kind of like schizophrenia can be. Bipolar usually doesn't show up until late teens. I had a boss with it and her brother-in-law had it too. Hers was well controlled so her children didn't even know she had it but then her daughter manifested in college and the whole thing was rough as she was in denial and hadn't known about her mother and uncle, etc.