What causes bipolar disorder? This question is hard to answer given that doctors have not done that much research yet on this subject. We already discussed that they have reason to believe the illness is genetic since it is common among previous patients that have had one member of the family suffer from it in the past.
However, some believe that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain. There could be too much or too low levels of norepinephrine that is the cause of cause bipolar disorder. When these are too high, the person will suffer from mania episodes and when these are too low, the person may experience depression.
Another group believes that this may be the result of a premature death of the brain cells especially those that deal with emotion and mood thus causing someone to suffer from mood swings.
People who suffer from bipolar disorder will experience episodes during the day and more often in the following weeks. The episodes are frequently set off by "triggers." Some of these have already been identified so let us talk about them.
Since bipolar disorder can happen later on in life, it is possible that severe stress can trigger either mania or depression in a person. It can get worse by turning into one of the many types of bipolar disorder or just stay that way for the long term.
A major life-changing event may also cause someone to suffer from bipolar disorder. This could be an accident, getting married, going to college, starting a new job, retiring, coming home from a war and a lot more.
Substance or alcohol abuse is another trigger. Studies have shown that illegal substances like amphetamines, ecstasy, and cocaine can trigger mania while alcohol and tranquilizers may trigger depression.
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