MONDAY, March 2, 2009 (Health.com) — Children and teens who have a parent with bipolar disorder are 14 times more likely than their peers to have bipolar-like symptoms themselves and are two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety or mood disorder, such as depression, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
When both parents are bipolar, children are 3.6 times more likely to have bipolar disorder than children with only one parent with the psychiatric condition.
Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic-depressive illness, affects 5.7 million people over age 18 in the United States. The condition is characterized by extreme fluctuations in energy, mood, and the ability to function. For example, someone experiencing an “episode” may have a manic state of euphoria for a period of time, followed by a bout of severe depression.
Although bipolar disorder may run in families, children of bipolar parents won’t necessarily develop the condition.
“I don’t want parents to think, ‘I have bipolar, so my kids have bipolar,’” says Boris Birmaher, MD, of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Penn., and author of the new study, called the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study. “Yes, these kids are at a higher risk, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your child will have it.”
In the study, Dr. Birmaher and colleagues looked at 233 parents with bipolar disorder and their 388 children, ages 6 to 18. They were compared to a control group of 143 parents and 251 children with no family history of the condition.
Overall, 10.6% of the children with a bipolar parent had signs of a bipolar spectrum disorder (which includes a range of symptoms from severe to mild) or a mood or anxiety disorder. In comparison, only two children, or 0.8%, in the control group had such symptoms.
It’s not clear if genes, environment, or a combination of both are responsible for the link, or possibly greater awareness and diagnosis of psychiatric conditions in bipolar families.
However, Dr. Birmaher says identifying the condition at an earlier age may ultimately help young people. “The longer you wait, the more complicated the condition could become,” Dr. Birmaher says. Previous studies have suggested that it can take 10 years of symptoms before people get a correct diagnosis and proper treatment. “Ten years is a long time—especially in the life of a child,” he says.
Next page: Symptoms difficult to diagnose
Comments (14)
Of course this is true. Numerous studies and research have validated the conclusion alluded to in the article.
I am the child of a bipolar Mother. a non willing to admit bi-polar mother. I grew up thinking I was crazy. When I turned 22 I put myself into therapy only to find out I was anxiety ridden and having chronic panic attacks. I thought it was normal. I thought thats who I was. Therapy was the best thing I ever did for myself. If only more parents, aunts, uncles, friends of children with parents who suffer from bi-polar disorder or manic depression paid more attention to the children and their mental state we could lower the risk and outcome of suffering children/ adults.
I was lucky…my brothers were not. one is bipolar and one suffers from depression and anger issues.
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My mother is bipolar and I thing that I might be also. What can I do to find out if I am. Is there a test I can take to determine before I go to my doctors I yes how do I get one so I can take it.
how do they decide if you are bipolar?
what helps them to decide if your bipolar? i would also like to know if there is a test we can take. thank you.
My bipolar daughter is a grown woman with 3 boys who suffer in many ways because of it. She loves them & they love her, but nothing is consistent & she doesn’t have enough time for them. Our family is well aware of her mental condition and try to help her & her children, but she is an obstacle! She won’t take any medication or get therapy. So, Ruthie, what can we do? We pay all kinds of attention, but what can we really do?
WRONG! My brother is Bi-polar and there is no other history of it in my family. My parents dont have it and neither did my grandparents!
My husband is bipolar and I have depression. Our daughter was diagnosed at at 4. Her symptoms were fits of rage that would last hours (no exaggeration). We finally took her to see a psychiatrist because after one of her rages, she began to cry because she couldn’t stop the rages. She is on medication now and we still struggle, but she is happier. It is very difficult to discuss with others because so many people think you are a bad parent for giving your child medication. It is very important that your child is not in pain or suffering. If you have a child that you think is bipolar, do research to find a child psychiatrist in your area that specializes in bipolar disorder. Unfortunately most of the good ones don’t take insurance. Trust me it is worth the $100/visit to know your child is being treated properly. As the article mentions, bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as ADHD and the medicine prescribed for ADHD can actually accelerate the bipolar symptoms. In addition, there are lots of support groups online for parents of bipolar children. It is nice to know you are not alone, not crazy and not a bad parent.
I have a severe case of bipolar disorder. I don’t know if there are actually test but when a doctor starts talking to you they know..
My late sister was bipolar, but this was something I wasn’t aware of because she apparently had it under control with medication for most of her life. She was a kind-hearted person, very religious, was a teacher and married a great guy. I didn’t learn about her illness until after she stopped taking her medications during pregnancy and had a baby. After that, her personality completely changed, she plunged into severe mental illness and never again regularly took her meds. Sadly, she died unexpectedly due to heart failure in her early 30s. We are not aware of older generations of our family having bipolar. Our sister is very much missed.
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I think I was bipolar (though not severely) with more lows than highs for most of my 20′s, although the condition may have started earlier. I have never been diagnosed or taken any medication but my condition definitely improved after recovering from a severe illness.
I wonder if the heredity factor also applies to other mental illnesses. My sister is more definitely bipolar and has been on medications (lithium and more) for more than 20 years. She has two grown sons, one of whom tried to commit suicide as a teenager and has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He has been on disability for some years as he is unable to work.
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I am a teenager in high school and my mom is bipolar. She refuses to believe that she has it and constantly threatens to throw myself and my dad out of the house. I don’t know what to do, I am scared. Will this ever stop? Does anyone have an experience where the illness fades away with age. I don’t know how much longer I can take this. It’s not fun, and i know a lot of people if not everyone who is commenting has experienced this illness in some way shape or form. I wish there was something that could be done to prevent it. But i don’t understand how to bring up the topic to my mom. I have said it before but she never listens to what i say. I have lost many friends because of this and now i feel really alone…. but after hearing stories i know i am not alone. Bipolar is just an illness, but its a painful illness