Incidence of BP

[alzandra]

What is the incidence of BP when there is no family history of it?  

[alzandra]

I am lucky to be in Canada as opposed to the States, yes.  

Thank you for the stats.  I knew there was a genetic component, and I could not find the incidence of the disease occuring in a family with no history of BP.

I was not diagnosed by a GP, but a psychiatrist. My GP's were not keen on medicating me themselves.  I am wondering if my symptoms aren't endocrinological or neurological as opposed to psychological.  Esp since I have numerous concurring diagnoses combined with no family history of the disease....

[bernie40]

couldn't have put it better myself monkeyc.

:-)

[monkeyc]

First point is that Genital is not the same as Genetic... Its a small but vitally important differrence.

There is a proven Genetic component in Bipolar, numerous medical studies have shown that the incidence of Bipolar increases with family history - The rate of statistical probability for Bipolar children to be born to bipolar parents ranges from 5% to 20% depending on who you read.

But yes bipolar does have a genetic component, this has been show multiple times and yes it is more prevalent in families with a history.

Where there is no family history its kind of impossible to say, the population as a whole in the us has a prevelance of Bipolar Illness of 1 in 83 people - about 1.7% of the population.  This is high and has grown but a lot of people, me included, suspect it has more to do with your collapsing medical system than any real boom in Bipolar numbers.

One only has to look at the rampant misdiagnosis of ADHD since Ritalin was dicovered or the rampant and dangerous over use of Anti Depressants in the US not to mention the rise of Juvenile and Infant Bipolar in some circles (No sorry I don't belong to the 3 year olds can be Bipolar school) which is inflating the stats and add to it the tendency of your doctors to medicate medicate and medicate and the lack of any real knowledge on mental illness by your family doctors and you have a mess of all proportions.

Getting actual information means wading through a sea of Drug Company Info (yes they have no vested interests do they... ) FUD, Advocacy groups, lobby groups and kooks.

Best estimate is around about 1 in 100 people in the propulation as a whole based on available figures flawed as they may be.

And the one thing we do know is Bipolar is not caused by AD drugs, its a problem in the brain.

[alzandra]

I wonder, too, if that is the case.  That is why I wonder what the incidence is when there is no indication genetically.

If anyone knows what the incidence is when there is no family history, I would like to know.  Just information gathering.

[adel_ezz]

I am not sure whether it should be genital. even with that you will find it sporadic and random. in every family there are psychic disease.
What is important though and worth consderation is that people in different forums say that the number of BP pts rose tremendously in recent years. Some attribute to good diagnosis. I attribute it to the abuse of AD. It turn you manic and from there on you have mood swings. That's my two cents
ezz