Is Manic Depression Genetic?

Manic depression, clinically referred to as bipolar disorder, is a genetically inherited mood disorder. Individuals who have manic depression oscillate between episodes of an abnormally elevated mood, referred to as mania, and a severely low mood, referred to as depression. Once developed, manic depression will persist for life. While there are a variety of forms of treatment available for patients who suffer from manic depression, there is no cure.

Family History

• Manic depression is a genetic condition, meaning that individuals who have a family history of the disorder are predisposed to developing it. The level of predisposition, or likelihood that the condition will develop, can be determined based on the number of cases of bipolar disorder in the family, the closeness to a particular individual and which generation have had it. Predisposition increases if members of the immediate family have the condition, which includes siblings, parents, aunts and uncles and grandparents. Similarly, the likelihood of developing manic depression increases if several members of the family have a history with the disorder, or if both sides of a family have a history of it. Manic depression tends to skip generations, so having a grandparent, grandaunt or granduncle with the condition increases risk exponentially.

Substance Abuse

• It is common for individuals who suffer from undiagnosed manic depression to self- medicate through substance abuse. Alcoholism and recreational use of drugs such as cocaine, speed or over-the-counter sleep prescriptions are common red flags for the disorder when noticed in people who exhibit erratic behavior. When an individual is assessing his or her family history for potential links to the condition, such behavior should be taken into account.

Genetics

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health, manic depression is caused by complimenting mutations on at least three genes. One gene that has been recently identified as being responsible for the condition is the Slynar gene, found in chromosome 12 in the brain. The medical community is unclear about what the original purpose of the gene is or what traits it carries; however, a study by the European academic community noted a mutated form of the Slynar gene in 10 percent of study subjects who were already diagnosed with manic depression.

Disorder Development

• Individuals who are at risk for developing the disorder due to a genetic predisposition should be vigilant for the potential onset of symptoms between the ages of 14 and 18. Characteristic warning signs of a manic episode include increasing feelings of euphoria, impulses toward reckless or risky behavior, lack of self control with finances, severe agitation and a decrease in the need for sleep or food. Racing thoughts and flights of creativity also are signs. Depressive episodes are marked by a significant lack of energy, sleeping up to 20 hours a day, a craving for sweet or bready foods and irrational feelings of guilt, sadness, anxiety or paranoia. Symptoms of either episode must occur for at least two weeks to be counted toward a diagnosis of manic depression.

Alternative Manifestations

• While it is most common to develop manic depression through a genetic predisposition, it is also possible to manifest the disorder through other means. There are documented cases of individuals who have experienced significant emotional trauma developing manic depression, as well as individuals who experience an abnormal fluctuation in hormones during adolescence developing the condition when there was no previous family record of the disorder.