Kindling effect

[Silenteyes]

What is the kindling effect and has anyone experienced it?

[adel_ezz]

I agree about the kindling effect. But the episodes will be to the manic side. i.e. the fear that you will get another mania and the maintenance dose is higher up. Do you agree

My 1st episode was a depressive one. Under an AD i became manic, then depressive again with a lesser AD then manic again. Now i don't take any AD but only an AP, yet i am high with a tendency to hypomania or mania. So i assume kindling is sensitivity towards mania and NOT depression.

[Anneinside]

Think about kindling you use to start a fire. You start with small pieces of wood, add a flame and slowly add larger and larger pieces of wood. Kindling is when things build.

In Bipolar, kindling effect is that with each episode you have it is more likely you will have another and it will be stronger/worse. This makes it important to keep bipolar episodes under control with medication and therapy.

[lindahand]

Ann gives a good description of kindling. My understanding is that kindling is to both ends of the spectrum. It is the pathways being strengthened so if you get multiple depressions that pathway is strengthened and if you get multiple manias that pathway is strengthened. This theory applies to more than just bipolar, it also applies to thinks that develop like habits we have, and why it is so hard to break a habit.

For myself I was undiagnosed until I was in my early 30's (bipolar 2). Looking back my earlier years my episodes were lighter, and they got stronger and more frequent as I got older until there was no denying I was bipolar. For me both the depressions and the hypomanias got much worse.

If you want more information about this type of thing look into neuroplasticity. It is a theory with a lot of proof that the brain can wire and rewire itself. It provides a lot of hope. The pathways can be strengthened but if not used they will also degrade over time. So the theory would go that by controlling episodes you can effectively downgrade the linkage. That the brain has the power to change itself. For example lithium has been proven to increase blood flow to the brain, and they believe that is part of the reason it works to control bipolar.

They are getting closer and closer to understanding the brain. I doubt they will ever completely figure it out but with functional MRI's it is amazing what they can map out and learn. It is fascinating and I anticipate some major developments in the next 20 years. Probably more in the line of understanding parkinsons and alzheimers as they get more money for research than bipolar, but that understanding may lead to better bipolar treatments.