Kids of Older Dads Have Increased Risk of Being Bipolar

By Alex in Health on Sep 2, 2008 at 1:40 pm

It’s long been known that babies of older moms can have more health problems, but studies have now linked mental illness to advanced paternal age:

Researchers analyzed Swedish national registry data from more than 80,000 people, including 13,428 with bipolar disorder who were born between 1932 and 1991.

The risks started increasing around age 40 but were strongest among those 55 and older. Children with these dads were 37 percent more likely to develop bipolar disorder than those born to men in their 20s.

They also faced more than double the risk of developing bipolar disorder before age 20. Scientists call that early onset disease, and although they have long known that bipolar disorder tends to run in families, early onset disease has been thought to be most strongly linked with genetics.

Link - Thanks Tiffany!

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Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
It stands to reason. You’re working with older genetic material, and more things can go wrong.

Kids of old dads also have the added stress of wondering when dear ol’ dad is going to pop his clogs. I would expect more emotional (and possibly mental) problems from that aspect alone.
sam
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
no no – having bipolar kids just makes them FEEL like they’re older due to an increased rate of aging.
Terry
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
There’s a new possible cause for bipolar published every week. None of them ever amount to anything. No lesion has ever been found for bipolar and no standard reliable lab test exists to identify the unknown cause.

The use of antidepressants (and the side effects of mania) has seen the unreliable “labelling” by quacks of people as BP sky-rocketed.
EEM
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
isn’t that the case with schizophrenia as well?
smak
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 6:38 pm
There are no guarantees in life; a dad can get hit by a bus at 30 or can die in his sleep at 90.

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation, people!
Silva
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
This isn’t good for me. Bi polar disorder runs on both sides of my family, and now I hear that because my dad was older when I was born (48), I’m at an even greater risk. Joy. I’m making an appointment to the shrink now, thanks.
Blaze
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
EEM – Bi-polar is schizophrenia. Just a more accurate name for the unwashed masses.

As for seeing bi-polar symptoms earlier if the parents were older at conception, I’m gonna call BS on that. It all depends on brain chemistry, and when it changes during puberty. So unless dear old dad’s genes are causing early puberty, there is no way to say that. I wonder if they are using date of DX or date of first symptoms.
murrtocrat
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
quick fact check:

bipolar?schizophrenia
bipolar=manic depression

carry on…
murrtocrat
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
(that’s “bipolar is not equal to schizophrenia” if you can’t make out the symbol)
Tim
Sep 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Psychiatrists will stop at nothing to diagnose every living being and to drug and harm them as a result…
Moodindigo
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 7:27 am
Careful Tim, you’re beginning to sound like Tom Cruise…
smak
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Silva, RTFA. It’s not a dire as the snippet pulled out for Neatorama.
Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
“There are no guarantees in life; a dad can get hit by a bus at 30 or can die in his sleep at 90.”

No, but kids don’t generally worry about their 30-year-old father getting hit by a bus. But if he’s 90, I think there’s more likely to be questions about how long he’s going to last.

And I didn’t mean to imply that this could CAUSE bi-polar disorder. All I meant was that the stress could certainly cause other emotional issues. Bi-polar disorder stems from something physical. Merely being worried about your old dad isn’t going to cause it.
thordora
Sep 3rd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Funny…almost everyone I know, myself included, who has bipolar has young parents…I was RAISED by older parents though (adopted) so I wonder if that’s meaningful…Not that antecdotal evidence means anything…
alice
Sep 4th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Hmm.. that gives me an idea for my dissertation.

And yes, bi-polar ISN’T schizophrenia.

(General) Bipolar symptoms: massive mood swings between deep depression and manic highs, (extremely manic highs can lead to delusions and hallucinations.)
Schizophrenia symptoms: (postive) hallucinations- auditory and visual, delusions. (Negative) Lack of appetite, apathy, lack of motivation.

Just wanted to clear that up. (Wiki it if you want to know more!)
Blaze
Sep 5th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
OK. thanks for the clarification. Was getting my info from my friend who is bi-polar, who described her teen years an being quite schizophrenic. I put them together because she and her dr did.

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