"Jane" asks: "Is bipolar genetic or can it be brought on by traumatic experiences?"
She goes on to say: "I have had several traumatic things happen to me and just wondered if this has caused me to be the way I am. I have two siblings without bipolar, so it just makes me think that one or all my experiences set this off."
Great question, Jane. How great? A few weeks ago I would have answered your query quite a bit differently than I'm answering now. Not that I would have been wrong a few weeks...
Depression Environment Causes
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Is Your Job Causing Your Depression?
By Deborah Gray, Health Expert
Unless we're independently wealthy, most of us spend a large part of our waking hours at work. Our "second homes" can contribute... Read more »
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The Blame Game in Depression
By Merely Me, Health Expert
It seems that there is a lot of blame to go around when one suffers from depression and it can come from a variety of sources. I think it... Read more »
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Getting a Child with Depression to Attend School or Daycare
By Deborah Gray, Health Expert
I talked in a previous blog about school avoidance, and how it can be caused by clinical depression and anxiety in a child. My son... Read more »
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Depression and Hostility Can Cause Heart Disease
By Jerry Kennard, Health Expert
Depression coupled with hostility form a destructive alliance in terms of elevating the risk of heart disease. Professor Jesse Stewart,... Read more »
EXPERT
How Stress Causes Depression
By John Folk-Williams, Health Expert
Stress is turning up more and more as a contributor to health problems of all kinds, including anxiety and depression. The problem isn’t... Read more »
From Our Sources
Depression boosts heart risks more than genes, environment ...
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that a history of major depression boosts a person's risk of having heart disease more... Read more »
Scientists look at genes, environment, and depression
Scientists are studying the links between genes, environmental factors, and depression. Experts in the field of epigenetics--which looks at how... Read more »
Heart Health and the Environment
The obesity epidemic is ruining the environment. We all know that excess weight is bad for health, but the environment, too? Sure, you... Read more »
Depression Issues: What are the causes of depression and the r...
Altered neurotransmitter (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) levels are responsible for clinical depression symptoms in many people. Diets low... Read more »
Bipolar Disorder Causes: Nature vs. Nurture
To what extent do specific genes determine our behavior? Although the jury is still out, the answer for intricate illnesses like bipolar disorder... Read more »
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