Can ptsd be an underlying cause of bipolar?

Contribution: We think most mental illness is caused by both biological vulnerability and environmental factors. Trauma and your reactions to it are certainly part of the picture. Both the ptsd and the mood disorder require attention and treatment. Both are targets of treatment.

Yes: I have seen a handful of cases of secondary bipolar disorder in my career. The bipolar disorder was in all cases due to complex posttraumatic stress disorder and resolve when the dissociative identity disorder portion of the ptsd itself resolved. I continue to follow these cases in post integration therapy for a number of years and none of them relapsed.

Very common: Depending on the severity of PTSD symptoms, bipolar disorder is a common comorbid diagnosis. This is especially true for people who have been in combat situations. And evaluation by a psychiatrist who specializes in PTSD can be very helpful in determining if bipolar and PTSD are being experienced concomitantly by the patient.

PTSD: Not likely, but both can coexist.