# Peritonitis and Atypical Bipolar Disorder **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005 "2018-01-19T23:24:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005/1 "2018-01-19T23:24:51Z")
I was married or 10 years to someone who suffered from an atypical form of bipolar disorder who, around the age of 6, had been hospitalised with peritonitis caused by her appendix. Whilst I was with her I attended Manic-Depressive Fellowship meetings … and met 2 other people who displayed atypical bipolar symptoms who as children had had “near-death” experiences as a consequence of developing peritonitis caused by their appendix. I can find no literature that links these 2 conditions … that peritonitis may in some way cause life-long bipolar-like symptoms. This describes what I mean by “atypical” bipolar. > **[Links Between Atypical Depression and Bipolar Disorder](https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/mood-disorders/links-between-atypical-depression-and-bipolar-disorder/)** > > Atypical depression is a type of depressive illness that produces symptoms not usually found in people suffering from depression. Doctors can’t directly ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005/2 "2018-01-20T01:36:10Z")
Brain Trauma is a known cause of psychiatric disorders in general. It is a rare and poorly studied cause of cycling bi-polar conditions. Sepsis is a known co-morbidity of Brain Trauma, associated with negative outcomes. The situation you have described is an interesting footnote that might make an interesting small research project. In the short term, it doesn’t look like it would have any particular significance in /helping/ or /preventing/ problems, but it might be easier to study than “psychiatric disorders in general”. If it’s a real association, it might turn up in socialstyrelsen, the Danish cohort, or somewhere else in NordForsk. I’m not an expert: most of what I know is only from 50 years of reading medical journals. When I get a chance, I’ll ask a psychiatrist. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005/3 "2018-01-20T01:50:49Z")
IANAD, but my uninformed guess is that it would be the other way around: having a psychiatric disorder, atypical bipolar or other, might make you less aware of or able to communicate the first symptoms of appendicitis, which might well end with a ruptured appendix, quickly followed by peritonitis. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005/4 "2018-01-24T19:17:24Z")
It’s not a far-fetched idea. There are studies that suggest that infection / inflammation can affect the development of mental illness. > **[Could Depression Be Caused By An Infection?](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/25/451169292/could-depression-be-caused-by-an-infection)** > > Infection and autoimmune activity result in inflammation. And psychiatric researchers now suspect that inflammation may play a role in some cases of depression and other mental illnesses. > **[Infection, autoimmune disease linked to depression - Harvard Health](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/infection-autoimmune-disease-linked-to-depression-201306176397)** > > Depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health problems arise when something goes wrong with brain function. What causes that malfunction is an open question. A new study from Denmark sugges... > [@From the Harvard Link](#): > > People who had been treated for a severe infection were 62% more likely to have developed a mood disorder than those who never had one. An autoimmune disease increased the risk by 45%. Multiple infections or the combination of severe infection and an autoimmune disease boosted the odds of developing depression, bipolar disorder, or another mood disorder even further. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peritonitis-and-atypical-bipolar-disorder/807005/5 "2018-01-24T20:43:24Z")
There’s a controversial form of OCD dubbed PANDAS that strikes some children who have had strep throat and related infections. > **[What Is PANDAS? The Latest Research and Treatment Options](https://pandasnetwork.org/what-is-pandas/)** > > What is PANDAS? Our experts shed light on what causes PANDAS disorder, how to receive a diagnosis, and how it is commonly treated. Click here to find out more. The OP’s hypothesis isn’t that much of a stretch, really.