Tying in somewhat to my post ealier about anxiety attacks, there’s a study being done in families with bipolar illness to determine what genes cause the disorder. Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is an inherited mental illness. It runs rampant on my father’s side of the family, so I am at risk, as are my children, or developing bipolar disorder. You can make somewhat of an educated guess as to whether you or your children will develop the symptoms of any mental illness that “runs in the family” by looking at several different risk factors.
First, where does the illness lie? Your family? Your spouses only? Both? Attempt to gather information as to if the illness forms a pattern. Grandparents affected? Cousins? Aunts and uncles? Is there someone affected in each generation? If not, the risk decreased. Does the illness skip a generation? (In my case, no.)
Another factor is age. The earlier a person shows symptoms, the more likely they are to pass on the illness to their children. Each generation becomes a little worse than the one before it. However, stress is a big factor, and could bring in bipolar symptoms early.
Lastly, women are more likely to end up with a mood disorder than men. However, in my family, I have at least 2 male family members who are bipolar, and only one female family member.
Interesting stuff.
