Bipolar Disorder
What Increases Your Risk
Bipolar disorder can be passed down through families. If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, your risk of developing it is higher.
If you have bipolar disorder, changes in sleep or daily routines can increase your risk for a manic episode. Antidepressant medicine can trigger a manic episode in someone who has bipolar disorder.8 But this may occur before someone is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, while he or she is seeking treatment for an episode of depression.
A stressful event may trigger an episode of mania or depression.
Your risk of either a depressive or manic episode increases if you do not take your medicines as prescribed by your doctor. It is common for people to stop taking their medicines during a manic phase when they feel good. Even if you are feeling better, you must take your medicines regularly to control bipolar disorder.
Alcohol or drug use or abuse puts you at a high risk for having a relapse of mood disturbances.5
| Author: | Jeannette Curtis | Last Updated: March 14, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry | |
I am fairly sure my Wife with whom I have been married for a long time has bi-polar disorder. She is also emotionally (not physically) dependant on alcohol while going through one of her episodes. Her lack of self awareness about her condition does not help in the correct diagnosis. We have seen a number of doctors and some have diagnosed bi-polar and some have disagreed and diagnosed severe depression. My wife doesn't like talking about her health and somehow convinces the doctors that her problems are all marital. When she sees the doctors she manipulates them into believing that her problems are all marital and due to stresses in dealing with Myself (her husband). Myself and my kids have been suffering due to my wife's erractic mood swings accompanied by binge drinking. I am at my wit's end and deeply concerned about my wife's health and my kids welfare. What should I do?
I am Bi Polar and on disability due to that and a few other ones. However, I am on medications which do very well in treating the Bi-Polar IF I take them EVERY DAY. For a long time I just did take them every day, then some things happened with my family that caused me major stress and I did so well that I felt "normal", hence eventually stopping my meds. Boy, that was a huge disaster. The medications do work if taken regularly. Then is the only chance I have of being as close to "normal" as possible and I feel great. I might add that the medications I take are Prozac, Abilify, and Topamax. They are a miracle for me.
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