Medication induced Causes
Bipolar disorder may also be triggered by medications. This usually happens during misdiagnosis, and therefore the patient is given a medication that may not be competent enough to control the disorder. With a different illness in mind (in some cases only the depressive mood could have been diagnosed), the physician may not be alert in detecting unusual changes in the patient that may be sidetracking from the original diagnosis. An example is the antidepressant medication which can activate a manic incident in patients who are vulnerable to bipolar disorder. This is due to the fact that the manic stage could have been overlooked upon in cases of misdiagnosis. Patients suffering from bipolar disorder should be prescribed both anti-manic and antidepressant medications. Antimanic medications produce a shield that protects the patient from mania that is stimulated by the anti-depressant.
Other drugs that can be abused which can cause mania in individuals are appetite suppressants, cold medications, corticosteroids, designer drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, etc.), and an excessive intake of caffeine. Abuse of alcohol and other stimulants can also trigger the disorder.