A new international scientific study shows that children born to very young or very old parents face an increased risk of later developing bipolar disorder (formerly manic-depressive disorder). The risk is higher for children born to a mother or father before the age of 20, and for those whose mother was over 35 or the father was over 45 at birth.

The corresponding statement was made by researchers from four countries (Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia), led by Dr. Giovanna Fico from the University of Barcelona, ​​at a conference of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Vienna (October 15-15). 18) and publications in the relevant journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published studies of bipolar disorder by age. In total, data from approximately 13.43 million people were analyzed, of which 217,089 were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

In general, older men (over 45) were found to be 29% more likely to have a child with a mental disorder than fathers aged 25 to 29, and older mothers were 20% more likely to have a child with bipolar disorder. disorder compared with women aged 25-29 years. For very young parents under the age of 20, the risk of having a child with bipolar disorder increases by 23% for mothers and 29% for fathers, respectively.

“Parental age is a factor that affects many things, including fertility and some neuropsychiatric disorders. What we found is a bit unusual because both young and old parents have an increased risk of having a child with bipolar disorder. The increased risk is modest but real. We can assume that for young parents, environmental factors such as socioeconomic problems, lack of support, stress, or immunological factors play a role, while for older parents, genetic factors may be involved, but the truth is that we really don’t know what they said. Doctor Fiko.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings, from intense euphoria to depression. It is quite common and affects about 2% of the population to a greater or lesser extent. The disease, among other things, increases the risk of suicide and early death from another cause. It is considered highly hereditary and if one parent has bipolar disorder then there is a 15% to 30% chance of passing it on to their children. Young people with the disease, when they are in the manic phase, have more risky behavior in sexual matters and not only.

Source: RES – OIE