Causes of Bipolar Disorder
The cause of bipolar disorder is not entirely known but the most popular theories on the cause of bipolar disorder, and more specifically mania, have been biological. Research has implicated neurochemical abnormalities in the specific parts of the brain that involve both the neuro-transmitters dopamine and serotonin. There is little other conclusive evidence.Long before biological studies, however, the psychoanalysts offered their explanation. Their proposition in its simplest form is that mania is a defensive reaction to depression. Rather than feeling overwhelmed with depression, a person’s mind makes a switch of sorts, turning that extreme sadness into extreme happiness. The symbolic equivalent to this idea is laughing when someone you love dies. It’s a severe form of denial. When a manic patient is seen in psychoanalytic-oriented psychotherapy, this defensive hypothesis is the main focus.
Predisposing Factors To Bipolar Disorder
1. Biological
Genetics. Twin studies have indicated a concordance rate for bipolar disorder among monozygotic twins at 60% to 80% compared to 10% to 20% in dizygotic twins. Family studies have shown that if one parent has bipolar disorder, the risk that a child will have the disorder is around 28% (Dubovsky, Davies, & Dubovsky, 2003). If both parents have disorder, the risk is two to three times as great. Bipolar disorder appears to be equally common in men and women (APA, 2000). Increasing evidence continues to support the role of genetics in the predisposition to bipolar disorder.
Biochemical. Just as there is an indication of lowered levels of norepinephrine and dopamine during an episode of depression, the opposite appears to be true of an individual experiencing a manic episode. Thus, the behavioral responses of elation and euphoria may be caused by an excess of these biogenic amines in the brain. It has also been suggested that manic individuals have increased intracellular sodium and calcium. These electrolyte imbalances may be related to abnormalities in cellular membrane function in bipolar disorder.
2. Physiological
Neuroanatomical factors. Right-sided lesions in the limbic system, temporobasal areas, basal ganglia, and thalamus have been shown to induce secondary mania. Magnetic resonance imaging have revealed enlarged third ventricles and subcortical white matter and periventricular hyperintensities in client with bipolar disorder (Dubovsky, Davies, & Dubovsky, 2003).
3. Medication side effects.
Certain medications used to treat somatic illness have been known to trigger a manic response. The most common of these are the steroids frequently used to treat chronic illness such as multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Some clients whose first episode of mania occurred during steroid therapy have reported spontaneous recurrence of manic symptoms years later. Amphetamines, antidepressants, and high dose of anticonvulsants and narcotics also have the potential for initiating a manic episode (Dubovsky, Davies, & Dubovsky, 2003).
The exact cause of bipolar disorder is still unknown and Scientists are still studying the causes of bipolar disorder.
