Nearly half of patients with bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, may have been abused as children, scientists say in a new report.

Emotional, physical or sexual abuse, or a combination, are linked with the condition, which causes dramatic mood swings and changes in behavior.

“Our results suggest that a history of severe childhood abuse is to be found in approximately half of adults with bipolar disorder,” said Dr. Joseph Goldberg, of the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York.

About one third of patients in his study, which is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, had suffered multiple forms of abuse.

Goldberg and his colleagues interviewed 100 patients who were being treated for bipolar disorder about their childhood experiences. Patients who had been abused developed bipolar disorder earlier and had more severe symptoms than other patients.

Sexual abuse was also linked to a higher risk of attempted suicide, according to the researchers.

Bipolar disorder usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. It involves recurrent episodes of mania and depression. More than 2 million Americans suffer from the condition in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Scientists are unsure what causes bipolar disorder but, because it runs in families, they believe there is a genetic component. Patients are usually treated with lithium or other mood-stabilizing treatments.

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