By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that a missing section of DNA in a certain gene may hold the key to whether a person does or does not develop bipolar disorder.

TUESDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The older the father, the greater his child's risk for bipolar disorder.

That's the conclusion of a new study by Swedish researchers who compared 13,428 people with bipolar disorder to more than 67,000 people without the condition.

ABCNews

Epigenetics is among the hottest topics in medical science today. It is the subject of papers in many of the leading journals and it is a top priority for funding at the National Institutes of Health. And it could turn out to be a big part of the story in depression and bipolar disorder.

So what is epigenetics?

Read full story

WASHINGTON (AP)- Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.

A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

THURSDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Serious mental illness costs Americans at least $193 billion a year in lost earnings alone, a new report shows.

The study broadly defines mood and anxiety disorders that greatly limit a person's ability to function for at least 30 days a year, including instances of any condition linked to suicidal behaviors or frequent violent acts, as serious mental illness (SMI).

WEDNESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Bipolar disorder may be overdiagnosed, say researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University.

TUESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Recently developed types of imaging techniques enable researchers to map brain circuits and chemical systems believed to play a role in depression, bipolar disorder and other mood disorders, and may help lead to improved treatments.

FRIDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- There's not enough scientific evidence to determine whether omega-3 fatty acid supplements can help treat people with bipolar disorder, say researchers at the University of Oxford in England.