[mandy_w]

I always hear people say that bipolar disorder is genetic. Well, I was diagnosed, and as far as I know, no one in my family has it. If they do, then they've never been diagnosed. So it's possible for me to have it with no family history? I know my mom had really bad depression and my dad struggled with alcohol abuse, but not bipolar disorder...

[kaliope]

it is highly possible either of them could have been bipolar and niether of them were diagnosed. many people self medicate with alcohol when they are bipolar. it is really common. your mom could have been bipolar and not experienced devastating manias so it was never caught. and who knows, you may be diagnosed wrong as well...................

[mandy_w]

Is it always genetic though? I feel the diagnosis is correct.

[Apathy123]

I don't think it's always genetic. My shrink and I are tossing around bipolar as a possible diagnosis for me because some not all of it fits but I also don't have a family history of it.

[avlady]

for me, i think bipolar is not just genitics, but also learned and acquired. i think it could be just a lable for someone who experiences the symptoms of it, which in turn turns out to be true. as to your parents, they probably had it but self medicated and never were diagnosed because they never saw a doc or t. i hope you can get the help you need and good luck.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I don't have a single person in my family with anything other than anxiety...but I have bipolar.

[Skywalking]

I have no history of bipolar in my family, but by God does my psychiatrist seem to think both my parents, my grandparents, my cousins once, twice and three times removed and probably their dogs, too, have undiagnosed bipolar.

Lots of alcohol abuse, depression, domestic violence, child abuse, bad decision-making, just general not having their lives together, sui tendencies...

And here I thought I'd escaped all of that. I was supposed to be the "good" one. And yet I'm the only one in my family actually diagnosed with anything. It makes me feel like crap, that's for sure.

Joys of genetics, heh? But I agree with avlady.

[shug4261]

How do you keep routine in the home? When you've added 2 people to the house?

[ferncoco]

I think it is very difficult to diagnose. Being bipolar, I can see how my Dad was for sure, symnptoms/issues very similar to mine. It took them about 3yrs back in the day to initially diagnose me. they went back and forth.. then finally diagnosed me after my 2nd treated mania. Dad was never diagnosed..had several relatives on paternal/maternal side w diagnosed depression.. but other than me, none diag. that I know of. a few cousins on antidepressants, a lot of addiction issues sadly.. they put the tag on my sister who survived a serious brain illness/surgery/ radiation and surgery related long term issues/ then one of the best neurologists in the US laughed and said with her MRI's it was not BPD. Why are they worried so much about your family? they need to treat YOU!

With BD, I believe one has to be genetically predispositioned for it. Usually, a stressful situation or trauma triggers the bipolar gene. Some may never "become" bipolar, but may carry the genetic material and pass it on down the line. Most triggering occurs around the early 20's, as so as I've often read.

With me, I was born this way, or triggered at a very very young age because I remember cycling at 6, but didn't get DX'd till I was 45. Neither one of my parents was mentally ill (even though I strongly disagree).

[Seqoya]

I've told by mental health professionals that a person can get bipolar without having a family history with the illness. However it's much more likely if there is a family history

[Seqoya]

I meant I have been told

[Moogieotter]

That's certainly debatable. I'm sure many cases go undiagnosed so knowing your family has no one diagnosed should have no real determination on your status.

Thanks,

moogs

I'm not a psychiatrist, but there seems to be a 75-80% genetic correlation to bipolar disorder. However, that doesn't mean that if one or both of your parents have/had bipolar disorder you have a 75-80% chance of having bipolar disorder; it means that you have a 75-80% chance of having a trigger to bipolar disorder.

Again, I'm not a professional, so I might be 100% incorrect.

[Mallory James]

I love your quote from Panic! At The Disco.
My banner song at the moment.

[Trippin2.0]

I'm the only BP'er, for realz.


My parents are / were both neurotypical (my dad has since passed) and out of 6 siblings, I'm it.


So yes, it is entirely possible, especially when DRs are still so much in the dark with BP, they don't actually know what causes it or exactly how it works. It's all theories and hypothesis at this point. So while there is a genetic component, that's not to say its completely hereditary.

[theweakestlink]

so sorry it's uncertain! i thought i might share what i've learned in hopes that it might be helpful. bipolar is a two-headed monster: genetic predisposition and environment (i.e. how you were brought up). my dad is the moodiest guy i've ever met, and though he's never been formally diagnosed with a mood disorder, it's clear there's something there that he easily (and almost certainly) passed on to me. (oh, what joy is mine.) my mom has a good head on her shoulders, so i don't think she contributed genetically. however, i think the circumstances surrounding my childhood are to blame for the expression of this delightful and unpredictable disorder we call bipolar. my parents were distant, unaffectionate and, though this may cruel, pretty selfish. the lack of support and desire to win affection through perfection (behavior, school performance) led me to here. (not to mention nearly-crippling social anxiety, sleep problems and a boat load of medications) so, to end this, bipolar (and all mental illnesses) are really complex and often aren't simple to trace. it may be necessary to tease out the possible causes/contributing factors, and that can take a while. don't give up and best of luck!

[~Christina]

I have zero family history. My daughter has Bipolar and there is no BP on her fathers side.

[Crazy Hitch]

This is actually a great question wlgreen - and I've enjoyed reading through the variety of responses here.

I guess there must be some kind of studies - with statistics? Dunno. So I'm glad you've put this out there.

There's a genetic link on my side of the family.

We have a standing joke that my sister frequently tells me - shake the tree hard enough all of the crazy ones will fall out (She has no MI btw)

I had a psychologist explain once that with bipolar disorder, the genetic link could be quite far removed (by as much as 7 generations), and since most of us don't know that much family history, nor was psychiatric care at all the norm even a couple of generations back so people just weren't diagnosed, knowing the specific genetic connection can be almost impossible. I wish I had the studies he was drawing that information from because I think it would be interesting to read more about it.

[avlady]

anyway too i think bipolar is a fairly new diagnosis to have, i mean it hasn't been around for too long? i had a friend recently who had it and he hung himself. he was so outgoing and good looking too. my sister hung herself too, at age 17, who knows what she had, mental illness runs in our family greatly.

[blue_eyed_panda]

Depression, ocd, and anxiety disorders run in my family. Though I'm the only diagnosed BP (that I know of, so it's possible one of my cousins is too).

Perhaps mood disorders in general cause a predisposition towards other mood disorders and it's each persons individual genetics and environment that determines what mood disorder they may get?

That's just what I wonder some times.