Does mania lead to trauma in patients with bipolar disorder?

Comorbidity between bipolar disorder (BD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high. Although, the impact of childhood trauma on the development and course of BD seems to be very well established, less is known about the impact of BD on the development of trauma and PTSD. The aim of this study is to answer the following research question: What is known about the impact of a manic episode on the development of traumatic experiences or PTSD in patients with BD? A literature search for studies published to May 2026 was conducted. Literature on this subject is scarce, only two articles were included. The first article showed that PTSD appeared to be a separate disorder in most bipolar patients. The second article showed that 15% of the subjects with BD experienced hallucinations and delusions during a manic episode as traumatic. While it is plausible that, beyond childhood trauma, both the subjective experience of mania itself and its behavioural, psychosocial, and treatment-related consequences may give rise to traumatic experiences or even PTSD, empirical evidence remains too scarce to support definitive conclusions. Research is required in which the development of trauma and PTSD as a result of mood episodes in patients with BD has been studied.