How common is bipolar disorder? What are its causes?

Bipolar disorder affects about 1 in every 100 people. There is a tendency for bipolar disorder to run in families. Children with a parent or sibling who has bipolar disorder are four to six times more likely to develop the illness, compared with children who do not have a family history of bipolar disorder. However, most children with a family history of bipolar disorder will not develop the illness. Painful life experiences play a similarly powerful role in the development of bipolar disorder. Early loss and/or trauma, in particular, predispose children to the development of bipolar disorder. Children who have lost their mother before the age of 5 are particularly vulnerable, with a fourfold increase in bipolar diagnosis. From a psychodynamic perspective, patients with bipolar disorder are frequently seen as struggling with issues of grief and loss.

Diagnostic Evaluation