Childhood abuse and manic depression

Nearly half the patients with bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, may have been abused as children.Emotional, physical or sexual abuse, or a combination, are linked with the condition, which causes dramatic mood swings and changes in behaviour. Bipolar disorder usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. It involves recurrent episodes of mania and depression. Scientists are unsure what causes bipolar disorder but, because it runs in families, they believe there is a genetic component. Patients are usually treated with lithium or other mood-stabilising treatments.Researchers from the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York, USA, interviewed 100 patients who were being treated for bipolar disorder about their childhood experiences. It was found that about one third of patients in the study had suffered multiple forms of abuse. Patients who had been abused developed bipolar disorder earlier and had more severe symptoms than other patients. Sexual abuse was also linked to a higher risk of attempted suicide, according to the researchers.The results of the current study suggest that a history of severe childhood abuse is common in adults with bipolar disorder.

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