Biological Factors Of Bipolar Disorder

biological factors of bipolar disorder

About 2. There are four types of bipolar disorder diagnoses, depending on symptom intensity, longevity, and relation to other disorders:.

How It Works

Biology and genetics are hard to ignore when it comes to mental disorders. Having a first-degree relative with the disorder highly increases your chance of having it, and brain scans show that there are fundamental biological differences in brain composition and activity. Mental and physical trauma — which might include childhood abuse, the loss of a loved one, or substance abuse — can also dramatically increase your chances of developing bipolar disorder.

Paying attention to red flags and involving family and friends early on can quickly educate and empower the individual to get the help they need. Once diagnosed, psychotropic medications and continued therapy are often effective at reducing the likelihood of future episodes.

The most critical, yet often disregarded, factor of long-term management is taking all medication exactly as prescribed. Read more about bipolar disorder. Learn more about the warning signs.

Definition

Explore resources for helping a loved one. The online form can only be used to fill out the form electronically. If you need to print, sign and scan or fax back to us, please instead download the PDF by clicking this button:. Bipolar Disorder. A Family of Diagnoses Explained About 2. There are four types of bipolar disorder diagnoses, depending on symptom biological factors of bipolar disorder, longevity, and relation facctors other disorders: Bipolar I High extremes of manic episodes that may or may not include major depressive episodes and with or without psychotic episodes.

Episodes often require hospitalization. Bipolar II Less severe, yet still clearly identifiable patterns of hypomanic episodes and depression.]