My mother had bipolar. Out of her three children two have it (me & my brother). My mother had a worse case than I do & they didn't have the great new meds like they do now (Lamictal, Abilify, etc.). Both my children have had bouts of depression when they were teenagers. I had my first suicide attempt at 15. I don't know whether my children will experience a manic episode & get the diagnosis of bipolar, but I have educated them about the signs.

Stress is a MAJOR component for me. I was brought up in a chaotic environment with a mentally ill mother (also an alcoholic) plus a very cold, alcoholic father. My doc said the best thing I could do for my children is raise them in a stable home & that might prevent them from developing a mood disorder. Unfortunately, I was not put on the right meds until I was about 48! So they witnessed a lot of my illness.--Suzy