Who gets bipolar mood disorder ?
Bipolar disorder affects more than two and a half million adult Americans during any given year. The illness usually begins during a person’s late teen years, although it can sometimes start in early childhood or as late as a person’s 40s or 50s. An equal number of men and women develop this illness, and it affects people of all races, ethnic groups and social classes. What causes bipolar mood disorder? The exact cause of bipolar mood disorder is not known. We do know that it is a brain-based medical illness and that certain structures of the brain related to emotions, behavior, and thinking are affected. Bipolar mood disorder may be related to an imbalance in certain chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters. There is a genetic component, meaning the illness runs in families, although genetics does not completely predict who will develop bipolar mood disorder and who will not. Are there different types of bipolar mood disorder? Physicians and researchers agree there are several
