There is no known cure yet for bipolar disorder. The episodes that people experience come and go but is it possible to prevent them from happening? We discussed some of these possibilities, yet we can emphasize the importance of identifying the triggers.

In some cases, it is possible. But first, you have to find out what triggers these episodes to occur.

What sets off an episode? There are a lot of things and it just proves that bipolar disorder is not caused by just genetics. These external factors are better known as triggers and once they are set off, the patient will suffer from either mania or depression episodes. Here are some of them.

Stress is the number one factor. If the person is not able to keep up with the pressure he or she will just lose it. Believe it or not, being overworked does trigger either mania or depression in someone with a genetic vulnerability to bipolar disorder. Once this occurs, the illness itself develops a life of its own and the biological as well as psychological processes take over and keep this active. Running a close second to stress not getting enough sleep is also known to trigger an episode of mania.

Life changing events have also been known to trigger an episode of bipolar disorder. This is different for each individual because this could happen as a result of a death in the family, moving into a new home, losing one job, going to school far away from home, and a lot more.

Some drugs that used to help one illness may cause the person to suffer from an episode. Some examples of these are antidepressant drugs, appetite suppressants, caffeine, over the counter cold medicine, corticosteroids, and thyroid medication are all known to trigger mania episodes.

The weather also triggers episodes. Studies have shown that people with bipolar disorder feel extremely happy during the summer and depressed during the fall, winter and spring.

Now let us talk about preventing these four episodes. Yes, you can prevent episodes caused by stress by following a daily schedule. You should get the right amount of sleep and sustenance so you don feel tired later on during the day. This should be followed up by making a mood chart that can be shown to the doctor so he or she can see how you are doing. This is the best way to determine if the drugs being taken are effective or not.