Talking with a doctor or mental health professional is the first step in identifying bipolar disorder. Specific criteria for diagnosis are laid out in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
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.
If your GP thinks you may have bipolar disorder, they'll usually refer you to a psychiatrist, a doctor who specialises in mental health problems. If your illness puts you at risk of harming yourself, your GP will arrange an appointment immediately.
It's normal for your mood to change in response to different situations, news, or challenges you encounter throughout a day. But if your mood shifts dramatically between extreme highs and lows, it may be a sign of bipolar disorder. Mood episodes lasting at least four days are a sign of bipolar disorder.
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 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.
No, a person cannot self-diagnose bipolar disorder or depression relating to bipolar disorder. A doctor or healthcare professional can diagnose a mental health condition by: conducting a physical exam. performing medical tests to rule out other causes of symptoms.
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.
Grandiosity and overconfidence. Easy tearfulness, frequent sadness. Needing little sleep to feel rested. Uncharacteristic impulsive behavior.
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.
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.
Only a mental health professional like a psychiatrist can give you a bipolar disorder diagnosis – not your GP. However, if you're experiencing bipolar moods and symptoms, discussing it with your GP can be a good first step. They can refer you to a psychiatrist, who will be able to assess you.
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.
A clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder usually entails a relatively long interval between the initial presentation and the accurate diagnosis. Previous studies have reported that patients may wait for as long as 5-10 years4-7 from the onset of illness before the diagnosis is confirmed.
Mood swings of bipolar disorder are more random and less related to events than those of borderline. Those with bipolar might have a hair-trigger kind of response during an episode, whereas the borderline person has a hair-trigger response all of the time.
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 often runs in families, and research suggests this is mostly explained by heredity—people with certain genes are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than others. Many genes are involved, and no one gene can cause the disorder. But genes are not the only factor.
Many of the symptoms of a manic bipolar episode and ADHD may be similar, such as distractibility, restlessness, or impulsivity. So ADHD may go undiagnosed in a person with bipolar disorder, if a doctor mistakes ADHD symptoms for a manic episode.
Childhood traumatic events are risk factors for developing bipolar disorders, in addition to a more severe clinical presentation over time (primarily an earlier age at onset and an increased risk of suicide attempt and substance misuse).
Mental disorders which may be commonly confused with bipolar disorder include Borderline Personality Disorder , Schizoaffective Disorder, Unipolar Depression, and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.