Like many here, there is a lot of bipolar disorder and depression in my family. I'll try try try to be as brief as possible.

A great great grandmother (my dad's mother's side) was said to have basically lived in her attic, barely moving for long periods of time (depressed).

My paternal grandmother (the grand daughter of above), fell severely depressed in her early 30s after giving birth to her youngest son, who had Down's Syndrome. Then she became psychotic, with symptoms my father described as manic ones. She started to believe she had ESP, that her doctor was in love with her and stalking her, and riding by her house in a "mini car". She even slit that doctor's car tires. My paternal grandfather tried to get her to a psychiatrist. He even got her to the office, but she refused to go past the waiting room. The stress of this grandmother's illness affected my father, greatly, leading him to be hospitalized with a "nervous breakdown".

In retrospect, my father (just mentioned) had anxiety, depression, and manic symptoms off and on throughout his life. The worst manic ones started about four years ago, along with alcohol abuse. It was highly concerning when town people started telling my siblings (and my husband) that his behavior was "out of control". Weird stuff! He ended up in the ER many times, but wouldn't go inpatient. It took almost dying from alcohol to finally get him help, then he had a severe depression.. He's been in an assisted living facility for over a year. After all of that, he is finally on bipolar medications (Abilify and Lamictal) at 78 years old.

My youngest nephew struggled with depression and mixed type episodes since his young childhood. The first crisis was when, as a kid, he deliberately consumed some rat poison. That was soon after my mother's (his grandmother's) death. He struggled on with very few "breaks" his whole youth. He had a series of ECT three times, and 9 psych hospitalizations. At one point, my older nephew had a restraining order against him because of violence during an episode. My youngest nephew lived with my dad and brother for over a year, before the restraining order was lifted. Then he moved back with my sister. A year later, he ended up in the hospital again after suicidal threats. He checked out prematurely. One week later, he was gone. Forever.

I obviously have bipolar disorder (type 1). My sister had been diagnosed with bipolar type 2. I have a second cousin on my mother's side with bipolar 1. My maternal grandmother had once had a "nervous breakdown" after giving birth to my uncle. [That was never really properly explained.]

I have a first cousin on my father's side with a bipolar 1 diagnosis. She is a very tragic figure. She had a trauma in her childhood, plus her mother left my uncle, leaving him to raise her. That cousin became a heroin addict and alcoholic, eventually. She gave birth to three kids, then abandoned them. My uncle and his second wife adopted and raised those kids. She was in prison numerous times for drug charges, DUI's and thefts. She is legally no longer able to be in New Jersey. She had her face totally tattooed and changed her name.