Bipolar disorder is one of the most common serious mental illnesses. People with it can go from feeling very happy to feeling very sad.
It affects about 2% of the population and puts them at a high risk of suicide and early death.
It is well known that bipolar disorder is highly heritable; there is a 15% to 30% risk that it will be passed on to a child if one parent has the condition.
Now a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology and presented at ECNP Congress in Vienna says that Bipolar disorder is more likely to affect children of parents who are either younger or older
This risk is higher if your mother or father was younger than 20 or older than 35, or 45. This trend results in a “U-Shaped Curve,” which demonstrates that there is a higher risk for both younger and older parents.
Bipolar disorder, characterized by rapid and dramatic shifts in mood (from intense elation to extreme sadness), is one of the most prevalent major mental diseases, affecting about 2% of the population and carrying a high risk of suicide and early death
It is well known that bipolar disorder is highly heritable; there is a 15% to 30% risk that it will be passed on to a child if one parent has the condition.
What the authors of this “found is slightly unusual because both younger and older parents carry an increased risk of having a child with bipolar disorder,” says lead author Dr. Giovanna Fico.