Well, it's not for certain 100% at this time in history. As i said in the
bipolar overview chemicals in the brain get imbalanced, but no one knows for
certain how or why. However, we do know that there are a couple well-known
factors that come into play. One factor is family history. Does anyone in your
family have a mental illness? It is more likely that you will have bipolar
disorder if someone in your family has it. Like all diseases, I believe
everyone has the possibility of getting bipolar. Bipolar can strike early on,
or not at all. The good news is that the bipolar "gene" can skip generations.
Just because your grandfather had it, doesn't mean you'll have it. The second
factor is stress. Stress is bipolar's best friend, and the golden opportunity
to strike. There's positive stress and negative stress. Unfortunately, good
stress is still stress to bipolar. Getting married or planning a vacation can
be just as stressful as the loss of a loved one. Personally when my mood
starts to get out of control, I don't notice. I'm blind to it and I think I'm
fine. However there's a trend I've been told, and I can look back and notice
it. Prior to a manic episode, I'm usually doing too much; I have so much going
on. Last time I started a job, started seeing an older woman, moved out into an
apartment, and got fired because of my behavior all in a month's time. Talk
about some stress! It was too much for me and I ended up going mad in the
process. You might hear a lot of foolishness about bipolar disorder, I have
before. Such as: you've had too much caffeine, God is punishing those who
have it, or that an individual just needs to make better decisions. I don't
believe that God is cursing those who have the disorder. Some could say the
decision making is an arguement or cause, but really it's brain chemistry and
how we're wired. I won't deny that a person's diet could affect them. I'm not
agreeing that 2 pots of coffee is going to make me go manic, at least not in the
beginning. After a person is diagnosed bipolar, diet can make a difference in
managing symptoms, another topic perhaps. In conclusion the two main factors
are genetics and stress. So try to stress-less!