Scientists thus call this tendency a "genetic vulnerability" to inherit depression (Read 2007:1)

Biologically, bipolarity is not caused by brain damage although there is mounting evidence that the brains of bipolar patients look different from those without mood disorders. A 2000 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry that the brains of patients with bipolar disorder contain 30% more cells that send signals to other brain cells, suggesting that the extra signal-sending cells may lead to a kind of over-stimulation, causing the rapid shifts of extreme moods characteristic of the disease (Read 2007:1). However, whether the disease causes the different brain configuration or the extra cells causes the disorder still remains a mystery.

To add to the mystery of treating this illness, because bipolar disorder has two distinct mood components, that of mania, and that of depression, treating it with medication can be especially difficult. Patients with bipolar disorder usually...
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