Does Osama Bin Laden's Son Have Bipolar Disorder?

Psych Central News Editor

Date: 13 July 2010 Time: 09:34 AM ET

Conceptual brain image; psychiatric disorders.
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Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's fourth-born son, Omar Bin Laden, was hospitalized and treated two weeks ago for a mental disorder, according to various news reports.

However, reports are unclear on whether he suffered from either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. According to his wife, however, the symptoms more closely resemble bipolar disorder.

Omar Bin Laden's wife Zaina Al Sabah recently told the British tabloid, The Sun that, "He'd have manic periods when he was very enthusiastic and excited about everything, then crashing lows when he would be quiet and subdued, staying in bed all day and not going to sleep until late at night."

She added, "During his highs he'd spend extravagantly, blowing thousands of pounds on watches and clothes which he'd then give away."

Symptoms of bipolar disorder include the presence of episodes of mania, when people often go on spending sprees or feeling like they are on top of the world and being unable to sleep.

"He'd learn blue jokes from watching Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey on TV, then tell them to strict Muslim clerics and burst into fits of laughter when they looked appalled. But then he'd regret his behavior and become very depressed," Omar's wife told The Sun.

Omar and his wife have reportedly separated over his condition. "I just can't cope with this anymore. I love Omar with all my heart, but I've asked him for a divorce," she told London's Daily Mail.

Omar's wife Zaina blames his psychological problems on his father Osama Bin Laden and the terrorist lifestyle they were forced to live while in the mountain caves of Afghanistan.

"There's no one else responsible for this. Omar loves and hates Osama at the same time," she said.

"He loves him because he is his father, but hates what he has done. I think he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after 9/11. Seeing what his dad had done ruined Omar's life," she said, adding, "He has not seen his father for more than ten years and wants peace in the world, not violence and war."

Omar, responding to his wife's statements about his mental health, said they are intended to harm his reputation.

According to ABC News, Omar Bin Laden met his wife Zaina, 25 years his senior, while on a horseback riding trek in Egypt. The two married shortly after, and had been trying to conceive a child through a surrogate and fertility treatments.