Bipolar family history?

[Elinah]

This is out of general curiosity, and indeed lookinv for the answer to help a friend out: is it possible to be the first bipolar person to start off a family history? My friend is showing symptoms of bipolar and she has second degree relatives who have a history of depression and alcholism.

[Elinah]

But can you be the first to get diagnosed with a family history who had it, but havent been diagnosed?

[Tegorsk]

Nobody except this generation - bipolar, unipolar, and misophonia.

[Seph1212]

The question like lindahand suggests is whether it's the first person with BPD or the first person diagnosed as having BPD. My personal opinion too is that it's probably more often the latter. Also people may acknowledge and/or be diagnosed with depression, but not recognize or report hypomania, I mean why would anyone. So the diagnosis of BP 2 goes unknown. Mixed states complicate things too. People could say, well he's just extreme hot head, or he gets mean when he's depressed.

With my family history, at least we knew, somewhat. My great grandmother was diagnosed manic depressive and spent many years locked up off and on in the state hospital in the 1940s and 50s. What a wonderful time that must have been to be alive. Sarcasm.

My grandfather, who was known to have "rages", also died in an alcohol induced accident. Most of my mom's 7 brothers and sisters are alcoholics or depressives. My generation of 23 cousins has numerous manic depressives.

I also think this shows that affective disorders (uni & bi polar) and alcoholism are part of a continuum that manifest differently by person and by generation.

[ILADVOCATE]

    Yes the bipolar spectrum runs throughout my family. There are a certain number of family members who are diagnosed as well as some that may have those concerns and relatives who passed on whom people realize may have had bipolar or a related condition. I have schizoaffective disorder and as I was informed when I went to a meeting to inform people about psychiatric disabilities that is part of the bipolar spectrum as well. I have relatives on another side of my family who have substance abuse issues in addition to psychiatric disabilities as it can be a form of self medication for that. There is continuing research into what specific genes might be involved and although there are some theories there isn't anything definitive at this point.