To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
Bipolar disorder can cause your mood to swing from an extreme high to an extreme low. Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
Diagnosing bipolar disorder usually involves a thorough examination of your physical health. This is to rule out a physical cause or other health concerns. It also involves an assessment of your mental state and the careful assessment of your symptoms and life experiences.
It's common in children and adolescents, but it usually doesn't get diagnosed until adulthood—it can take up to ten years from the time a person experiences symptoms to the time they actually get diagnosed! So no, not everyone who has bipolar disorder knows they have it.
Grandiosity and overconfidence. Easy tearfulness, frequent sadness. Needing little sleep to feel rested. Uncharacteristic impulsive behavior.
Bipolar disorder can occur at any age, although it often develops between the ages of 15 and 19 and rarely develops after 40. Men and women from all backgrounds are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder. The pattern of mood swings in bipolar disorder varies widely between people.
A general practitioner (GP) can provide initial assessment and advice. They may then provide a referral to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist, who can provide a full assessment and diagnosis, as well as suggest treatment and support options.
To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
Absolutely. In fact, bipolar disorder is considered to be one of the few mental health conditions that is highly likely to cause a significant and long-term psychosocial disability.
being easily irritated or agitated. being delusional, having hallucinations and disturbed or illogical thinking. not feeling like sleeping. doing things that often have disastrous consequences – such as spending large sums of money on expensive and sometimes unaffordable items.
The illness usually starts with depression rather than mania, so even when mania is detected accurately, the onset of bipolar disorder may be missed.
Symptoms of a manic episode
Having an abnormally high level of activity or energy. Feeling extremely happy or excited — even euphoric. Not sleeping or only getting a few hours of sleep but still feeling rested. Having inflated self-esteem, thinking you're invincible.
Bipolar disorder can be confused with other conditions, such as depression, schizophrenia, BPD, anxiety, and ADHD. Detecting and diagnosing bipolar disorder may take some time. But getting a correct, early diagnosis often results in better outcomes.
Bipolar disorder can appear in any gender, at any age. It usually starts in your teens or 20s. Often women first have a depressive episode (or multiple) as an adult — before they have a manic (or hypomanic) episode. This is different from men, who are more likely to have a manic episode in childhood.
On average, there's a 9.5-year delay between someone seeing a doctor about a symptom of bipolar and getting an accurate diagnosis. Any delay in diagnosis can mean you don't get the treatment you need.
Unless their condition is causing noticeable dysfunction that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, it's perfectly okay to date someone with bipolar disorder I or II. Every person you date is likely to have different strengths and needs. That same logic goes for people with mental health conditions.
This is especially true for bipolar disorder (BD), which shares several symptoms with adult ADHD. Moreover, besides an overlapping clinical presentation, BD is often co-occurring in adults with ADHD, with comorbidity figures as high as 20%.
What is Bipolar? Bipolar Disorder is a serious life long mental health condition which features pronounced mood swings. The condition was formerly known as manic depression. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the condition affects 2.9% of Australians aged 16 and over, or 568,000 people.
Left untreated, bipolar disorder can result in serious problems that affect every area of your life, such as: Problems related to drug and alcohol use. Suicide or suicide attempts. Legal or financial problems.
High levels of stress. Changes in sleep patterns or lack of sleep. Using recreational drugs or alcohol. Seasonal changes – for example, some people are more likely to experience hypomania and mania in spring.
Childhood trauma
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions.