Can bipolar disorder cause homosexuality?
Although the causes of homosexuality are the subject of much controversy, bipolar disorder is not one of the leading contenders. Theories of genetics and early environmental factors suggest that your sexuality has already started to cement, long before adulthood so it seems unlikely that something that usually kicks in at about 21, could change something already been largely decided for you.
However, many people believe that sexuality is a on a spectrum, rather than categorical, with most people falling towards the heterosexual end of the scale but not necessarily right at the extremities. Factors such as inhibition and social pressures may prevent someone who was mainly attracted to their opposite sex, from exploring the small part of them that desires same sex encounters. Mania is known to decrease inhibition and raise sexual arousal, therefore being manic could lead increased homosexual activity, if you were somewhere mid-scale. It is also possible that you could be entirely straight and have a homosexual encounter when manic, because mania distorts your thinking - likewise mania might lead a gay person to have a wild night of passion with a straight.
Nevertheless, homosexuality as a result of mania is likely to be a temporary condition which would stop once the mania stopped, with the exception being people with underlying bisexual or homosexual tendencies who needed something to kick-start their self-awareness.
Just as bipolar disorder leading to homosexuality is not a straight forward topic, neither is the debate as to whether or not homosexuality can cause mental health problems. Many theories about mental health problems suggest that an underlying genetic predisposition to an illness could lead to sickness if an individual experiences a stressful life event. Coming out to yourself and your loved ones is very stressful for some people.
So in conclusion, I don't think bipolar disorder can permanently change your sexuality, but mania could cause temporary homosexual activity, or open your eyes to tendancies you've had all along, but been too inhibited to explore.
3 comments:
Its funny that I would read your post after just writing one talking about the same issue (in the context of a larger one). i have been reading your blog for 4 months now. I love it!
I'm gender fluid and have identified as bi-sexual up until recently. I have been playing with a few other terms but haven't settled on one.
I have bipolar and although I was only recently diagnosed (I'm 23)I've been exhibiting symptoms since I was very small. Dealing with sexuality at the same time as bipolar was difficult for as i grew up in a small very conservative town.
Feel free to check out my blog at www.neverburnbridges.blogspot.com :-)
Sexuality is not caused by a mental disorder. See the APA.org, search "sexuality."
Bi polar disorder can make one more depressed about being LGBTQ, since society doesn't accept it.
So many of the bipolar people that I meet... happen to be bisexual (I've really only met a few who weren't). I myself am bisexual and have BPD. Perhaps it's where I live or just the times I happen to meet these people... but it's made me wonder how much of that is coincidence. It doesn't seem like something that could be related... although the hypersexuality that takes place for many during a manic episode... i can absolutely see that making people more frisky and ready to try things. i like your blog.
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