Bipolar Disorder Linked To Older Fathers

Older Men's Sperm May Be More Likely To Develop Mutations, Study Shows

(AP)  Children born to older fathers face a greater chance of developing bipolar disorder, according to one of the largest studies linking mental illness with advanced paternal age.

Previous research has connected schizophrenia and autism with older dads, and a Danish study published last year added bipolar disorder to the list. The new study led by researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institute strengthens the evidence.

The leading theory is that older men's sperm may be more likely to develop mutations. Even so, the odds of a person becoming bipolar are so low that the study's authors said it shouldn't dissuade older men from becoming fathers.

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 born to 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 while 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.

The age of the mothers didn't appear to be much of a factor.

The study, released Monday, appears in September's Archives of General Psychiatry.

While the findings don't explain what might cause some older men to have bipolar children, it "reinforces the notion that there's a strong biological component to this," said Dr. Harold Pincus, vice chair of psychiatry at Columbia University.

Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings, from deep depression to manic highs. It affects more than 5 million Americans.

Lifetime risks for it have been estimated at roughly 1 percent to 4 percent. The study results suggest that having an older father might increase that slightly. The findings aren't definitive, but even if the link proves to be real, Pincus noted that still means most people with older fathers won't ever get bipolar disorder.

Factors involving mothers, including age and health, have long been thought to be most closely linked with birth defects and other abnormalities. But the new study adds to mounting evidence that paternal factors also play an important role, said New York University researcher Susan Harlap.

Sperm are produced throughout a man's lifetime, and scientists believe that as men age there is a greater chance for mutations that could contribute to disorders in their children.

Advanced paternal age also has been linked with birth defects, and some sperm banks have age limits for donors because of that.

While important for scientists, the study results shouldn't discourage older men from fathering children, said Emma Frans, the lead author.

She said the results suggest that similar mechanisms might contribute to risks for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism. Each of these disorders is thought to have many causes including biologic and outside factors.

[Liz_Kelly]

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[Liz_Kelly]

I just found some great shows on NPR's The Infinite Mind that might help you: http://www.lcmedia.stores.yahoo.net/infinitemind.html

[blackyowe]

I agree SistaTee, manic-depression is a better name. It really is more discriptive and not as clinical sounding. The people with this problem should be allowed to name it in my opinion!

[blackyowe]

Wow, this is interesting. Come to think of it many of the bipolar people I know where born to older fathers.

[docpeter-2009]

Another wonderful benefit of modern feminism. Young women in the workforce arent satisfied with the money a young man makes today, they prey on the older men twice their age. The next generation has to suffer from the feminists!

Posted by GOP_forever at 08:40 AM : Sep 02, 2008
________________
And these are exactly the women who will jump from Hillary and vote for Palin. The women who just want a woman in power.

[timfitz42]

kenhamlett: what an ignorant post. You know nothing about conditions of the brain or chemical imbalance ...

I agree 100% CWP. There''s tons of these people, all they need is to know someone who suffers from a biological disorder to change their mind but until they do it''s ignorance central. I''ve spent my whole life explaining the difference between HAVING depression and BEING depressed. Not the same thing!

[mediabrat60]

Yeah! Another thing to blame on men.....LOL!

[gop_forever]

Another wonderful benefit of modern feminism. Young women in the workforce arent satisfied with the money a young man makes today, they prey on the older men twice their age. The next generation has to suffer from the feminists!

[crazycwp]

kenhamlett: what an ignorant post. You know nothing about conditions of the brain or chemical imbalances. There is a difference between mental illness and mental disease. Bipolar can actually be shown on an MRI now, did ya know that? Of course not, ignorance again. I pray something like this never touches your family because then you will be eating your words. Maybe you need a little "HELP" yourself.

[ybotheratall]

What ever happened to manic-depression? I liked that better. It had snap to it. You could almost feel the mood swings. Bipolar sounds more like two icebergs.

Posted by SistaTee at 03:23 AM

You have a good point. It''s much more realistic to envision someone being "manic" or "depressive" in relation to the disorder. However, it seems that in order to be politically correct, manic must fit in to some category of offensiveness. Manic is perfectly descriptive and the disorder never should have been renamed.

[kenhamlett]

This is funny. Now they are looking for a cause/excuse for a condition that is actually not a disease and is simply a catchall phrase for people they can not ensnare any other way. This categorization is simply the result of a group of con artists getting together and formulating the details of the deception. I have personally seen people fall into this category that ranged from a businesslike personality among laid back coworkers to a dyslexic pain pill addict for whom they had no state funded program so they classified him BP so they could make a buck off of him.
The comment that BP is nutritional is very close to the reality. I prefer to call it environmental deficiencies with a sales pitch attached. Mental illness is a falsehood. The few real cases are either some controlling factor such as nutrition or organ malfunction (ie liver) or physical damage.
It is usually a pack of lies so one person can gain control of another person. I know of a wonderful young lady right now with supposed deficiencies who has never been helped and the con artists actively interfere with alternative ideas and even religious intervention. Now they look for a fictitious cause for a fictitious illness. HA.

[sistatee-2009]

What ever happened to manic-depression? I liked that better. It had snap to it. You could almost feel the mood swings. Bipolar sounds more like two icebergs.

[sonofapundit]

I can say from my own experience that bipolar disorder is probably 90% nutrition. I changed my diet and it cured a deep persistent depression (which was coated with occasional mania, which, in my opinion, is the body''s way of "forcing out" of persistent depressions to keep functioning). That was 13 years ago. The only times I feel bad now is when I fail to eat good foods. The brain is just another organ- and we are what we eat. Our food nowadays is horrible- corn syrup, premature picking, refined flour... it causes blood sugar to rise and fall faster and harder than ever- in all of human history. If you want peace of mind, eat whole natural foods. That''s what humans did for millions of years... right up until about 50 years ago. I am sure it is especially true for children- they get to grow up once- and if they miss nutrition on the way, it''s possible that the "damage" is irreparable.

[ybotheratall]

My husband was 26 when our bipolar son was conceived. I call BS.

[sistatee-2009]

Even so, the odds of a person becoming bipolar are so low that the study''s authors said it shouldn''t dissuade older men from becoming fathers.

They actually paid somebody for this?

[deweyhowe]

"wonder if this study corrected for the number of "flu" shots and other vaccinations these men had. The mercury in shots is the cause of the astronomic increase in autism and decreased brain function capacity of American and British children."
___________

Utter nonsense. The most reliable studies, and there are now many of them, refute this beyond any reasonable doubt. Reasonable being the operative word, of course.

[midvale3]

I wonder if this study corrected for the number of "flu" shots and other vaccinations these men had. The mercury in shots is the cause of the astronomic increase in autism and decreased brain function capacity of American and British children.
Parents should refuse the standard course of shots given in America. Insist on safe vaccinations!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by caliengineer at 07:23 PM : Sep 01, 2008


Yeah!! Being back Polio, Smallpox, Mumps, Measels and all the other illnesses that caused such a high infant and child mortality rate not so many years ago.

[raskal_2]

hmmm... that goes in the d-ar-n interesting file

[haoli25]

Be right back, I am going to go check mine.

[caliengineer]

I wonder if this study corrected for the number of "flu" shots and other vaccinations these men had. The mercury in shots is the cause of the astronomic increase in autism and decreased brain function capacity of American and British children.
Parents should refuse the standard course of shots given in America. Insist on safe vaccinations!