Question about bipolar disorder?

Unfortunately, Mom is wrong about bipolar disorder tending to "skip a generation".

As a child of a person with bipolar disorder, your odds of having a mood disorder yourself are four times higher than those of someone whose parents do not have a psychiatric condition.

You can read more about the heritability of bipolar disorder here (the last paragraph is probably the one that will be of most interest to you):

http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/489331

~Dr. B.~

Hi Katy,

Let's deal with the "chances" first. I cannot predict how likely you or your children are or will be for developing a bi-polar condition. Genetics is a complicated statistical science. It's like saying my father and uncle and aunt have blue eyes. Will all my children have blue eyes? A simple yes won't do, it has to be figured out over more than two generations (your data base needs to be larger, deeper, wider). A skilled geneticist could build a "family tree" starting with your children and going back a few generations, especially on your father's side, and maybe your mother's too (looking for more traits than bi-polar alone, I think, to determine the dominant influences)--but the geneticist's conclusions would in essence be guesses, probabilities, or even possibilities.

On bi-polar, what you described of your experiences, having a temper and getting frustrated over small things, alone is not bi-polar, although it can be a symptom. You said you looked at some symptoms. To be bi-polar, usually, you should have fairly regular mood swings, like, for example: A month of being high, excited, taking on a lot of tasks, buying too much, wanting sex too much, thing like that. This all varies from individual. Then followed by a period, say another month, of being depressed, feeling weak, avoiding people, wanting to hide, being pessimistic, sad, maybe suicidal too. Some people have only depressions. Others have only highs. The periods of either mood can vary in length and so on.

So, as a guess you and your children have a 50-50% chance. That's merely a guess. This isn't something to be totally scared over. It's very treatable. I am bi-polar, and have been treated with medication for 22 years. I am retired from a successful career and have been living "normally" during that whole time. No one can tell that I'm bi-polar--if I don't tell them, and I usually don't.

Eh... That is a problematic one. I used to be honestly misdiagnosed Bipolar, however then rediagnosed as BPD. Borderline Personality Disorder is a character sickness, that develops inside your formative years, relying in your emotional progress- it includes immoderate temper swings, and lots of persona position disorders that's extensively impacted, and caused through the humans you engage with. BPD may be a arguable situation- many feel that Borderline isn't truly. Because this can be a slight, or now not utterly built sickness of MPD- or Multiple Personality Disorder, due to the fact you would not have adjust egos.. Many medical professionals feel those stipulations don't exist. Biploar Disorder is a chemical imbalance, that many feel develops at start- it includes 3 levels- adding a degree level, depressive level, and manic level.. BPD, and Bipolar each have the stigma of getting temper swings- however Bipolar mania is available in levels, as BPD mania is unpredictable, and is observed through the law, or disorder of your emotional state. However, neither ailments are curable- best treatable through therapy, and healing. I might feel BPD signs, together with Bipolar Disorder- equivalent to Black, and white pondering. Splitting/ disassociation comes at levels- and lots of immoderate, and impulsive urges, and behaviors are caused through the way you react emotionally with others. But it is rather problematic, and intricate to pinpoint 2 intellectual issues that coexist with each and every different, once they each comprise identical signs. They virtually compromise each and every different.. from the opinion of my psychologist, Biploar/ BPD can't by and large coexist in combination- and being that Bipolar Disorder is probably the most on the whole misdiagnosed intellectual sickness within the psychiatric subject, it might be incorrectly identified.. Many of the ones with BPD, have a moment intellectual ailment that coexists with being Borderline. Anxiety, and Depression are probably the most ordinary. But Bipolar Disorder is solely as risky, and unpredictable as BPD. It might even be Depression/ BPD- even be certain to detect that Bipolar Disorder involves plenty of signs that mimic, or are very similar to many different intellectual issues, or visa versa. I might get the opinion of a 3rd physician. It can take years to accurately diagnose a individual. I am now not announcing it's truly, it might simply be a false impression, or rough to monitor down, and realise. Good good fortune..

look first of all that skip a generation stuff like behavior is completely genetic is ignorant. Depending on your exposure to him and alot of other things sure you probably have some of the tendencies or personality traits if not all of them. First of all remember emotions are human and if you go nitpicking at every little thing sure your going to hve some problems. The only way your ever going to really tell is if its obvious do you experience alot of mood swings in a short period of time, like constantly laughing then potentially crying soon after these kinds of things although this simplistic example does nothing to describe the entire spectrum of the disorder though it is likely with this well though out and careful analysis it is likely to have "skipped a generation" focus on a healthy lifestyle and keep an eye on things.