Do you think anything triggered the start of your BP?

The “Concussions?” thread by spikes got me interested... Do you think anything in particular triggered the start of your BP? Maybe pregnancy, PTSD, etc

Stress related, working too hard, leaving the family home for the first time, living with someone other than my family, Summer time.

Too much free time on my hands if you like

I like the terminology you use, OP, inferring that we (often genetically) had the propensity toward bipolar, but that life stress, postpartum hormones etc bring it out. They are finding that bipolar is very genetic. For me I was still pretty OK one year after my son was born. However, stressors were building up . Then at a super stressful time when my husband and son were both sick, I cracked and started to feel out of it on top of recognizable anxiety and depression. I had almost no support system and the psychologist my mom took me to diagnosed anxiety disorder and I didnt follow up with him. I had a lot of depression in the family so I read a lot over the years and realized I was bipolar, tho bp2 is so hard to recognize. “I’m just in a good mood!” Hah, one’s thinking is sometimes totally distorted, tho subtly enough that even when you recognize you’re hypomanic, its hard to catch the impaired thinking. “I could start this business...”. Well yes I could but the stress would be too much. That type of thing. My best friends son is bipolar, so she totally gets me, but I am looking for bipolar friends who can help me catch my mood swings. Message me, bipolars who are up for doing the buddy system like that!!!

It almost feels funny giving a quick answer, but unlike my usual long ones, I'll be brief.

It seems clear that the beginning of adolescence, the great disappointed of a lost dream to become a prima ballerina, and not fitting in at the public school I initially attended were the main triggers. In regards to the ballet, stopping a very rigorous exercise and social routine was destabilizing.

I wrote about my first major episodes at Childhood interrupted (Part 1 of 2) – Bird Flight

If it wasn't the (probable) concussion I had that caused my schizoaffective, it was perhaps the stress of high school that started my symptoms. I put a lot of unnecessary stress on myself to perform, needing to get all A's, take honors and AP courses, get into a great college, etc. I was also sexually abused on a daily basis for some time before my first episode, but that was when I was 13/14 and my first episode wasn't until17 (though I struggled with anxiety).

Although I tend to think I’d had it all along, it wasn’t until peri menopause when it was really bad. I pretty much suspected that starting school was also a trigger, though.

clearly for me it was the depopreva birth control shot.

Captain Crunch and Saturday morning cartoons mixed with a BP mother did it for me.

I was sexually abused all of my childhood and suicidal by 9 years old. The real BP symptoms showed up in my teens. I am guessing it was the trauma that triggered it but I do have genetic links to BP so perhaps a bit of both.

All of the new changes that come with adolescence contributed to it. I clearly remember that I felt manic right before I was going to go on a trip with my family to England when I was fifteen. I experienced mania and high anxiety right before going on the trip, and I went into a mixed manic episode during the trip with psychosis. It was hell. I only remember bits and pieces of the trip. I think the stress and anticipation triggered the episode, but apparently, I continue to have recurring episodes. So that experience just happened to "kick off" what was yet to come down the road regardless, if that makes sense.

I had a long lasting sexual relationship with one of my girl friends when I was very young. That was extremely traumatic for me. The guilt of that, combined with the culture shock of transitioning from a tiny catholic grade school to a huge public high school, was my initial trigger and that, as well as the worst episode I’ve had to date, both seemed triggered. Not all of my episodes have been triggered, however and there is most certainly a genetic component for me too.

I don't know. A severe depression appeared at 20. Sure, I was at university, but I was having the time of my life and no struggles whatsoever. I never have been able to come up with a "reason" for it, though the excellent time I was having before it may well have been hypomania. Dunno. But if so, what set that off? Who knows. Probably just genetics.

Had childhood trauma then abuse by my ex husband triggered the BP when I was 27

Removal of my ovaries (cancer scare) at age 41yrs triggered my Bipolar. Nobody, nada, nil, zip in my family is mentally unwell. Just me.
I wish I had taken my chances with cancer-I would probably be well. My sister kept her ovaries and has been in remission for 8yrs. Oh and mentally as fit as a fiddle.

I wonder if ,through a little more awareness, parents, primary care doctors and school counselors are better able to recognize mental illness today. I had some depression before my first breakdown, and recognized it because it ran in the family. However, identifying something complicated like bipolar took me years. Of course professionals should be trained in recognizing mental illness. In fact, it would be helpful for them to have a good knowledge of the varying symptoms of different kinds of mental illnesses. I say this because even once one goes to a professional, it is so easy to have the wrong diagnosis for years that it would be better for the professionals to be able to assess and channel the patient in the right direction from the beginning. When my mother, with experience of depression (and, LOL here, a degree in psychology)came on the scene from out of town to help me after my first breakdown, I had one session with a psychologist (my mistake for not pursuing the issue, but I thought I had the family depression and anxiety) who called it an anxiety disorder. It was years before I had a proper diagnosis which I finally did myself.
Obviously all these “first responders” should be trained in more than a rudimentary knowledge of mental illness. For example, it is so dangerous to give bipolars only antidepressants (which primary doctors are allowed to prescribe)without a stabilizer that considerable damage can be done with a misdiagnosis. And these 15 minute intervals that many insurance allow pdocs these days are ridiculously inadequate. Wish I was younger. I have checked the time it would take me to retrain as a psychologist and it would be a few years and thousands of dollars to complete all the requirements.

I'm not sure what the trigger was for me. I was working while also a full time stay at home homeschooling mom and it was a lot to take on. I was also having flashbacks of potential abuse from when I was a small child and the doctors think maybe PTSD was involved. I can't be sure the abuse was real though. My brain was highly delusional when all of this happened. The doctors have also said that the cause could be adrenal or hormonal. I think that is possible. My mother had her first episode when she hit menopause. Her trigger was hormonal combined with an emotional stressor.

In general it sucks not knowing what caused me to get so sick so quickly. I want to see it coming and try to get help sooner if it happens again and I feel like I don't even know what I'm looking for. I journal every day looking for any indicator that my mood is shifting. So far I've been stable and I hope it continues.

There is a strong genetic link to some forms of schizophrenia and bipolar 1 disorder with psychosis. I come from several generations of schizophrenia. I had my first psychotic manic episode at 16 after the sudden death of my cousin, the one person I trusted, went to school with, and shared lots of time with. His death destroyed me. It triggered my BP1 psychosis disorder, but I was predisposed to it to begin with. Hard to say, if it hadn't been his death if it would have been some other stressful event.

I would have developed it any way. But doing drugs in my teens surely sped it up. And had I developed it later I would have accomplished more academically.

I think the main trigger was adolescence and puberty combined with childhood trauma and neglect. Nature and nuture for me.

I have major MI history in my family especially BP. I remember having SI when I was quite young and definitely had lots of depression. My first manic episode was triggered by antidepressants but I definitely may have been hypo before that.

That's a good question, something I hope to delve into next time I see my therapist. I think for me, while I always had many of the bipolar traits, it really manifested itself when I went through a traumatic time in my life dealing with unwanted thoughts (I also have OCD). Those unwanted thoughts made me hate myself and think I was a total failure. I became obsessive about religion and trying to become a better person, engaging in strict religious rituals and abstaining from pleasurable activities. Then, when I began to heal and realize most of the thoughts were caused by the OCD, I went the opposite direction and started exhibiting hypomanic traits - allowing myself to do whatever I want (within certain bounds), became more self centered, giddy, confident, feeling like nothing I did was wrong. I ran from many of the rituals I had engaged in before, even things I used to enjoy like going to church. That causes me so much anxiety now to be around any kind of rules and regulations.

I believe it was bullying in elementary school that began my depression. The hypomania started in Junior High School, in grade 8.
Dad always quoted a nursery rhyme to me when I was small, so I might have been born bipolar. He quoted, "There was a little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good she was very very good, and when she was bad she was horrid". Sounds bipolar to me. At the time, I had no idea why he kept saying that. I had no curls. I didn't know I had hypomania.
My grandfather and my aunt were bipolar, so he knew the signs.

My mom quoted the same rhyme to me, except I did have curls.

I think for me it was a combination of genetic predisposition, a traumatic childhood, and puberty.

I think I started developing bipolar when I was 6 and an incident happened that was traumatic to me and affected my life for a long time. Had a suicidal depression at 10 and another at 13. The mania didn't show up till much later, and I still don't know what triggered it. Then I had my first mixed episode at 53, which is when I was diagnosed BP. It was probably genetic; my mother had many symptoms of it when I was growing up but she went undiagnosed and untreated. She self-medicated with alcohol, as did I from age 17 to 33.

I really believe in kindling theory. My BP got worse and worse over time, and by the time it manifested itself I was almost too far gone to be helped. I spent a considerable amount of time manic, but the depression was worse and those mixed episodes were hell. (I say 'were' because I haven't had one in years.) Now that I'm on the right cocktail, I do very well for the most part and it seems like all that other stuff never happened. But I'm ever vigilant for s/sx of my disease because I never know if or when they'll return.

Definitely! It was taking an antidepressant.