Risk factors

Either major depression and bipolar disorders, present neurochemical alterations in the cortical neurotransmiters, that are responsibles of mood regulation. The origin of these alterations can be genetic. That is why it is so important to explore the prescence of similar illness in the families.The relatives of affected people are more prone to present these disorders. Given that, in order to the illenss to be present, it is necessary that the predisposition is combined with other environmental factors, that can act as trigers or maintenants. This is the case os stressful situations that brake the equilibrium of the brain regulation systems. Other factors as drug use, or traumatic situations that generates acute or chronic stress reactions, can decompensate these delicate equilibrium of chemical substances.

The presence of purging types of eating disorders in adolescentes, associated with other impulsive behaviors as self mutilation (cut their skin, burn or cut themselves, in order to alleviate anxiety), drug abuse and familial antecedents of bipolar disorder, increase in 9 times the risk of bipolarity in these adolescents, and they should be consider in high risk for presenting it.