Posted by ST on October 28, 2002, at 19:10:54
In reply to Re: Bipolar and genetics, posted by Silly Brain on September 19, 2002, at 15:09:03
HI,
What a clear and informative message! Thank you so much. I had always wondered if my bi-polar genes would have surfaced if I had had a better home life growing up. My childhood was what you'd call "crazymaking". Although I had a bout with depression and suicide when I was 15, my BP disorder didn't realy surface till I was about 24. Do you think it's true that BP disorder can come on at any age? Most doctors feel that it comes on by the time you're in your mid-twenties or not all.
Thanks,
Sarah
> Hi Folks,
>
> I'm a student of genetics. Almost all diseases with
> a genetic componenet rely on a specific environments
> to activate them. This is true for all genetic
> traits. For instance, we all are genetically
> programmed to learn a language. But for those
> awful cases where kids are locked in closets and
> such, they do not learn to speak. The brain is ready
> to learn to speak, but only in a speech-promoting
> environment.
>
> Think of this for mental disorders as well. You need
> to be in a disorder-promoting environment for the
> "disorder" genes to express themselves. We know that
> quite a lot of people with the "gene for bipolar"
> (I can't remember which one now, but I do think it
> is on chromosome 18) DO NOT HAVE bipolar. However,
> most people with the disorder, have the gene, so we know it
> is involved - but not by itself causitive.
>
> Just like there are environments that promote
> physical diseases, there are environments that
> promote mental ones. Which is why the best treatment
> for any mental illness is both therapy (to change
> one's lifestyle to a less disease promoting one)
> and medication (to fix the resulting neurological
> changes resulting from living a disease promoting
> lifestyle).
>
> Of course, sometimes one's lifestyle isn't one's choice,
> especially in the case of children. So in terms of
> bipolar being "mother linked" it may be that a mentally
> unwell mother is unable to provide a healthy environment
> for a growing child, which in turn promotes development
> of disorders in the child.
>
> Hope this helps,
> Silly
poster:ST
thread:1022
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20020829/msgs/1423.html