Psych Central’s Senior News Editor Rick Nauert recently posted a piece entitled “Genetic Variant Heightens Risk for Bipolar Disorder.” In it, he calls attention to a recent study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics that’s “based on a relatively new technique for the study of the genetics of bipolar disorder” termed genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
We invite you to check out the post, especially if you’re interested in keeping up on the latest breakthroughs in identifying the genetic component of bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression). Although it may be years before these genetic studies translate into any sort of gene therapy, if that’s even possible, they deliver an immediate benefit in three important ways:
- The genetic link adds to the growing body of scientific evidence that proves bipolar disorder to be a genuine illness and not a personality flaw or behavioral disorder.
- As we get closer to identifying the gene or genes responsible for bipolar disorder, we get closer to developing a test for it.
- What we learn from the research helps in developing prescription medications that are more effective in targeting symptoms while causing fewer undesirable side effects.
bipolar mice? there must be a joke in there somewhere…..
No genetic link has ever been discovered Dr. Fink.
Smoke and mirrors and wishful thinking on the part of the medical state.
Keep looking. Homosexuality sometimes also seeks to justify its existence on such notions. Perhaps poor driving habits are genetic also? Where do you draw the lines? What good can come out of such posturing? Medicine is looked at as a ruse if medical science is so vague as to be the stuff of fairy tales.
Don’t they think there’s up to 10 genes involved and another gene involved in bipolar with psychosis that might be shared with schizophrenia… I have schizoaffective and there’s no mental illness in my family apart from recurrent depression. And yet I had a manic episode so severe earlier this year I couldn’t tell whether I was thinking or hearing: I was just deluged in voices. Whatever causes it I’m sure it’s partially genetic after all isn’t it the case that when one idential twin has bipolar the other has at least a 50% chance of developing the illness.
I think they should separate bipolar 1 and bipolar 2 in these studies. I heard bipolar 2 has a far more spurious heritability whereas bipolar 1 clearly runs in families.
Well it’s all fascinating, but I wonder when we’ll ever get some definite answers to all this. I’d love to get my genes tested but how do I go about it. Also I would like to take part in medical research yet it ALWAYS seems to be done elsewhere. Who are these patients who take part in trials, not just medication trials but general research? I’ve never even met one. Have you?
RSL needs to get real (or better yet, get a life). As a life long sufferer of Type 1 bi-polar, I am only too aware of how out of control things can get. And believe me, there is little to do to control it, short of being sectioned, put in an institute, mostly for your own safety. It has taken a number of years to get the drug cocktail to the point where it is at best a managed condition.As for it “not being Genetic”, I find that laughable. Mental illness runs rampantly on my fathers side of the family, and for pretty much all the other bi-polar sufferers I know, the pattern is pretty similar.
As for the his (I will assume that we are dealing with a male, as this is the sort of bigoted rubbish I would expect to hear) attack of on gays, I might posit this thought with him. Children that are raised by gay couples are no more likely to be gay than children from straight parents. Surely if it was a leaned behaviour, the children would be in danger of being homosexual thenselves?
I take extreme exception to the characterization of bipolar as a “personality flaw” or anything else besides a serious medical condition. Obviously I don’t know what causes it, so I have to defer to the experts.
I really do wish that, aside from medical professionals who have made proper studies, people who lack first hand experience with mental illness (or being lgbt for that matter), would listen rather than talk.
I am bipolar (I) and I can tell you that my symptoms are not mere personality flaws (not that I don’t have a lot of those, too). Just to pick a dramatic example out of many, when I am high (mood not drugs!) I hear voices. Is that a personality flaw?
As for the genetic aspect, all I can say is that three generations of my family (including me) are officially bipolar. I wouldn’t call that proof, but it is an anecdote at least.
I just want to clarify: I know the purpose of the article is to support the idea that bipolar is genetic. That’s fine. I actually have nothing invested in one cause or another. What set me off was the off-hand comparison that bipolar might be something other than the serious illness I know it to be.
RSL, forgive me if I’m wrong but you don’t give the impression of someone with first-hand experience.
Hi, Trav–
Which article makes an off-hand comparison that bipolar might be something other than a serious illness? I’m not seeing it.
RSL–
You need to do more research. Trav is right, you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. I know from research and from witnessing the difference in how my loved one feels, thinks, speaks, and behaves during a manic episode compared to while on effective medications that bipolar is an illness. And, as Gledwood points out, there’s plenty of evidence of a genetic link, even though researchers haven’t been able to trace it back to a single gene — bipolar and schizophrenia tend to run in families, the susceptibility is inherited. Nobody argues that.
Gledwood–
You’re right… current thinking is that several genes are involved. We’ve posted several articles about this on our other blog, Bipolar Beat. You can check them out at http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar/category/genetics/
As for where to find studies that are recruiting participants, check out my post, “Recruiting Participants for Bipolar Research.”
For government-sponsored research trials, Psych Central keeps a list at http://psychcentral.com/cgi-bin/ct.cgi/bipolar
Oh yeah, Brendan, good points.
Joe:
The passage I’m referring to is the first bullet point of this article.
“The genetic link adds to the growing body of scientific evidence that proves bipolar disorder to be a genuine illness and not a personality flaw or behavioral disorder.”
It’s ironic because the words that set me off are in total opposition to the overall intent of the article and were nothing more than a minor illustration of an opposing view.
I’m sensitive about this particular issue because I spent half my life thinking that my problems were nothing more personality flaws that I could just fix with enough willpower and strength of character. Obviously some of life’s problems are just like that, but we both know that when you’re bipolar there are also a lot of problems that require medical help.
Okay, I see now. Thanks for the feedback. A lot of people seem to have trouble clearing that hurdle to come to an understanding that bipolar is a real illness. A large part of NAMI’s Family-to-Family course, especially the beginning, is devoted to the science behind serious mental illness. The goal is to get family members to realize that their loved one’s brain is ill and the behavior they’re witnessing is not by volition. I had trouble accepting that at first. Once I cleared that hurdle, I became much more empathetic and receptive to learning what I could do to help.
Thanks for sharing this article with us. I suffer from bipolar disorder and I am pretty sure it runs in the family. I only wish my genes won’t be carried down to my own kids.
Thanks again
Thanks for that useful info. My younger brother was diagnosed years ago and this year i was. seem to me there is a link. My psychiatrist says there is often more than one person in the family to have it if anybody does
I think both this article and this conversation point to the need, as Joe and others have alluded to, of education and honest dialogue about this illness. And it is an illness; anyone who has suffered from it, learned from it, or seen a loved one endure it knows that, as Trav discovered.
I believe that the more people share their experiences, the less ignorant people will be about it. Yet it is a vicious cycle – as long as there are people out there characterizing our illness as RSL did, the harder it is to speak out… it’s a tough cycle to break.
I’m trying to help with my first person narrative of living with bipolar II – thementalwell.blogspot.com. I’d love any feedback or suggestions.
Interesting article, thanks for sharing. It’s good to know that the science for genetic linkage is starting to trickle in. This can only benefit us in finding treatment!
I am bipolar. To say it could be a personality flaw is someone without experience doing a lot of talking. I believe most people recognize it for what it is: an illness. Although the research doesn’t exist to determine what specifically causes it, I do believe that that research will reveal some interesting things in the near future. I look forward to that day.
My wife suffers with bipolar disorder, I hope that the research will result in more useful information as to why some people develop this disorder and why some don’t, and then from there I believe the ways of treating it will become more successful.. I truely hope that Bipolar disorder can be researched more and more, good research always creates better cures and results. thank you for this incredible blog I love it!
There are still a lot of people who don’t get it – just see mental illness as something that makes you weak or odd.
I have shared with folks that I have clinical depression (actually bipolar) and gotten comments like “That could never happen to me. I’m too positive.”
I too hope the stigma will continue to lessen.
Rachel