There has been a lot of discussion recently of how mental health issues have common traits, and even how there may be genetic and biological links between disorders. Bipolar disorder seems to be the starting point for a lot of these theories, as it is one of the most intensely studied of all mental health issues. Multiple genes,
involving several chromosomes, have been linked to the development of this disorder. It may also share these characteristics with other disorders, such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, and panic disorder. What is unclear is whether these disorders are variations of a single disease, or separate disorders.
BIPOLAR DISORDER AND EPILEPSY
The technical side of this says that neurotransmitters called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and norepinephrine have
been implicated in mania. That is important because:-
GABA helps prevent nerve cells from over-firing.
-
Norepinephrine is a hormone that involves stress.
Some research has associated similar
biologic mechanisms in patients with epilepsy and bipolar disorder. As in epilepsy, the more episodes a bipolar disorder patient experiences early in the
course of the disease, the more frequent and severe later episodes will be.
Antiseizure agents, in fact, play an important role in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
You can read the entire article discussing these findings here.
The research side of this shows that there are many similarities between the two disorders, and that as many as 10% of the people with epilepsy develop bipolar disorder.
Why is this important? There are now mental health tests, and ultimately mental health medicines that are being developed to work on the combined disorders. Understanding the footprint of these disorders will help the development of treatment and therapy options for patients.
Next we'll take a look at the more personal side of this matter by looking at some articles and blogs written by people suffering from a multitude of mental health related issues.
I know this can be a heavy subject, but it's one worth exploring. There are many people out there who suffer from one form of mental health issue or another, and raising community awareness on these issues will help further the understanding of them.
Stay tuned!
You can read the entire article discussing these findings here.
The research side of this shows that there are many similarities between the two disorders, and that as many as 10% of the people with epilepsy develop bipolar disorder. Why is this important? There are now mental health tests, and ultimately mental health medicines that are being developed to work on the combined disorders. Understanding the footprint of these disorders will help the development of treatment and therapy options for patients.
Next we'll take a look at the more personal side of this matter by looking at some articles and blogs written by people suffering from a multitude of mental health related issues.
I know this can be a heavy subject, but it's one worth exploring. There are many people out there who suffer from one form of mental health issue or another, and raising community awareness on these issues will help further the understanding of them.
Stay tuned!
