Cause of Bipolar Disorder

The cause of Bipolar Disorder has been in dispute for many years. While the exact cause of the disorder is still not determined, most researchers do agree that the main cause for Bipolar Disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Still disagreeing on the cause for this imbalance in the brain, however, at least they agree that a combination of genetics/heredity and environmental factors are the cause for the chemical imbalance.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder center around the neurotransmitters in the brain. These are the chemicals in the brain involved in the functioning of nerve cells; specifically, the ones that affect mood changes. Since mood changes are the major characteristic of Bipolar Disorder, all research into causes of bipolar are concerned with neurotransmitters.

Bipolar Disorder, and its causes as regards neurotransmitters involve a process whereby the nerve cells might not be manufacturing enough of a neurotransmitter. This is just one cause.

Another cause of neurotransmitter malfunctioning might be that too many molecules of the neurotransmitter are being dissolved or deactivated by enzymes—or that too much of a neurotransmitter is being released. Molecules too quickly reabsorbed, or autoreceptors being activated too soon could also be causes of neurotransmitter malfunctioning, causing Bipolar Disorder.

A cause of Bipolar Disorder, as one researcher suggested, could be some other circumstance involving electrically charged particles of potassium, sodium, chloride or calcium.

New causes for bipolar are being published all the time in scientific research journals—new information and new hypotheses surrounding the chemical imbalance in the brain, still being the primary cause of Bipolar Disorder.

What causes Bipolar Disorder? Those of us with Bipolar Disorder have all asked this question at some time. But the explanations as suggested above may be too technical for most of us to really understand.

Psychopathology is the study of significant causes and processes in the development of mental illness; meaning that there are physical, mental, environmental, and emotional causes for mental illnesses. In other words, as previously discussed, there is no single cause for Bipolar Disorder. There is both a biological (genetic/hereditary) and psychological (environmental) element to the cause of Bipolar Disorder.

Has anyone discovered the true cause of Bipolar Disorder? It would be wonderful to say that X or Y was the true cause, because then we might actually find a cure for bipolar, but the answer is just not that simple.

This Week's Bipolar News

From Prevention to Preemption: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatry
Psychiatric Times
One can imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when a 15-year-old with a family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder could be assessed with

8 Myths About Bipolar Disorder
CBS News
Bipolar disorder is on the rise, yet myths persist. WebMD goes to the experts for help separating fact from fiction.

Get Real: Count Your Blessings and Your Troubles
Beliefnet.com
Maybe it's the bipolar in me who jumps on the rollercoaster and is dying to tell everybody about the wild ride. But I just wish more people were real about ...

Thinking out loud: Sen. Marzilli's bipolar defense?
Wicked Local West Roxbury
That paper also reported that Marzilli was being treated for symptoms of hypomania, a condition linked to bipolar disease. Marzilli's own lawyer confirmed ...

Swings of bipolar disorder to opposite extremes
Chattanooga Times Free Press
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: How serious is bipolar disorder? Can you control it yourself? Is the brain lacking some element?

Click here for all Bipolar News.

Featured Article:

TAKE ACTION!

I received an email from a person the other day. She asked me why so many great successful people, leaders, business people, etc. have Bipolar Disorder. I have long had a theory (but I don't have any kind of study to point to which would prove my theory). Here's what I think, though:

In order for you to start something, whatever it is: open a daycare center, write a book, build a website, go to college, discover the cure for cancer, create world peace â€“ you have to do something really important. Know what it is?

You have to TAKE ACTION!

Click here to read the entire article.

BipolarCentral
Your One Stop Source For Information On Bipolar Disorder