Huberman #82 - The Science & Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Rough Notes

Mood swings for those with Bipolar depression is not necessarily like a cyclic sine wave.
On average, those with Bipolar type 1 spend ~55% of their life symptom-free, ~30% with major depressive symptoms (severe sleeping problems, suppressed appetite/libido etc) and ~15% of the time in manic/mixed-manic state (long bouts of sleeplessness, irritability, pressured speech, grandiosity).
On average, those with Bipolar type 2 spend ~50% of their time with major depressive symptoms (very diminished perspective on life, as if there is no opportunities for things to improve), symptom free ~45% of the time, and 5% of the time with hypomanic symptoms.
In general population:
- Prevalence of major depression 10-17%.
- Prevalence of bipolar disorder 1%.
Given 2 identical twins:
- If one has major depression, then there is 20-45% chance the other has it too.
- If one has bipolar disorder, then there is a 40-70% chance the other has it too.
There is some genetic component to bipolar disorder, but it is not like eye-colour.