Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Gets Diagnosed?What Providers Need to KnowSimilar IllnessesGender and Racial DiscrepanciesAfter DiagnosisNext in Bipolar Disorder GuideBipolar Disorder Treatments to Manage Symptoms
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Who Gets Diagnosed?
What Providers Need to Know
Similar Illnesses
Gender and Racial Discrepancies
After Diagnosis
Next in Bipolar Disorder Guide
Bipolar disorderis a serious mental illness that causes periods of depression, or low mood, and periods of mania, or elevated mood. There’s no definitive bipolar test, so healthcare providers diagnose bipolar disorder based on a patient’s bipolar disorder symptoms and behaviors. These reports can also help a healthcare provider distinguish betweenbipolar 1 vs. 2— variations in the disease that can inform treatment and prognosis. It can be helpful for healthcare providers to hear not only from the patient, but from their trusted friends and loved ones too.
Continue reading to learn more about how to diagnose bipolar disorder, including exams and health history.
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Who Is a Candidate for Diagnosis?
Bipolar disorder used to be called manic depression. People with the illness can have symptoms ofmania, including grandiose ideas, lots of energy and racing thoughts, and symptoms ofdepression, like intense despair, low energy and trouble sleeping.
There are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar 1, more commonly just called bipolar disorder, is diagnosed when a person has at least one episode of mania. This episode must last for seven days, or be severe enough for the person to be hospitalized.Most people with bipolar also experience periods of depression, but these aren’t needed for diagnosis.
Withbipolar 2, people never reach a full manic state. Instead, they experiencehypomania, a period of elevated mood that doesn’t have all the symptoms of mania. Bipolar 2 is diagnosed when a person has at least one episode of depression and one episode of hypomania. The mood swings associated with bipolar 2 are generally less severe than those in patients with bipolar 1.
What Does a Provider Need to Know to Diagnose Bipolar Disorder?
Instead, health professionals rely on a host of information to make a diagnosis, including:
A patient’s health history can play a large role in diagnosing bipolar disorder. Keeping track of your mental health, sometimes known as mood charting, can help speed up diagnosis. Keep records of major changes, including any hospitalizations, periods of mania, hypomania, or depression, or major life changes, like dropping out of school or losing a job.
What Other Tests Will Providers Use to Make a Bipolar Diagnosis?
Healthcare providers can’t give one test to confirm a bipolar diagnosis, but they may recommend a mental health evaluation to aid in their diagnosis.In addition, providers will often do blood work to rule out other conditions, includinghyperthyroidism.Healthcare providers will also examine mental health history to try to rule out other mental health conditions, includingschizophrenia.
Do Other Illnesses Mimic Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Before diagnosing bipolar disorder, doctors should rule out other conditions that can mimic the symptoms of a manic episode or bipolar disorder. Sometimes, physical conditions, including hyperthyroidism, can cause symptoms like anxiety, agitation, and weight loss that mimic the symptoms of mania. Blood tests can often rule out these conditions.
More often, symptoms of other mental illnesses can be confused with bipolar disorder. Research shows that bipolar is often misdiagnosed. About 40% of people with the condition are misdiagnosed, often with major depressive disorder or anxiety.
In addition, if a patient experiencespsychosisduring their depressive or manic episode, they could be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Psychosis, a loss of touch with reality, can include hearing voices or seeing things that others can’t see. Although the symptoms are most closely associated with schizophrenia, people with bipolar disorder can experience this, too.
Getting an accurate diagnosis is critical for treatment, so if you believe you or a loved one have been misdiagnosed, don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion. Work with a knowledgeable mental health professional who can differentiate between bipolar disorder and other conditions. Remember, your loved one might have bipolar along with other illnesses like anxiety, ADHD or substance use disorder.
Gender and Race Discrepancies in Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
About 3% of Americans have bipolar disorder, and the condition impacts men and women equally.It’s believed that bipolar disorder impacts all racial groups at the same rate, but it can be difficult for people of color, especially Black people, to receive a diagnosis.
Research shows that Black people with bipolar disorder are more likely to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. This could be due to the type of symptoms that Black people experience. For example, Black patients are less likely to report typical symptoms of mania, like elevated mood and decreased need for sleep. In addition, they are more likely to report hallucinations and symptoms ofpsychosisthan other races are.
Women who have bipolar disorderare more likely to experience depressive episodes than mania or hypomania (although they still need to experience these highs to get a diagnosis). The emphasis on depressive symptoms can make it difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder in women, and bipolar in women is often confused with major depression.
What Happens After a Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis?
Once you or your loved one has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, your healthcare team will work to put together a treatment plan. Bipolar is a chronic, lifelong disease that will need ongoing treatment. The most successful treatment plans include medication, talk therapies, and lifestyle changes.
The treatments for bipolar disorder include:
Other treatment options
Recently treatment options for bipolar have advanced. These treatments can be used alongside medication and therapy:
Summary
Bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose, because it can be confused with other mental illnesses including major depression or schizophrenia. To diagnose bipolar disorder, doctors will talk with a patient about their health history and behaviors. Input from family or friends can be very helpful at that stage. Doctors will conduct a physical exam and blood tests to rule out physical illnesses, including hyperthyroidism. After diagnosis, work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan. Remember, bipolar disorder is a lifelong, chronic illness that will require ongoing support.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Stiles BM, Fish AF, Vandermause R, Malik AM.The compelling and persistent problem of bipolar disorder disguised as major depression disorder: An integrative review. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2018 doi: 10.1177/1078390318784360.Li, K., Richards, E. & Goes, F.S.Racial differences in the major clinical symptom domains of bipolar disorder. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2023. doi.org: 10.1186/s40345-023-00299-3
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Stiles BM, Fish AF, Vandermause R, Malik AM.The compelling and persistent problem of bipolar disorder disguised as major depression disorder: An integrative review. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2018 doi: 10.1177/1078390318784360.Li, K., Richards, E. & Goes, F.S.Racial differences in the major clinical symptom domains of bipolar disorder. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2023. doi.org: 10.1186/s40345-023-00299-3
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.Stiles BM, Fish AF, Vandermause R, Malik AM.The compelling and persistent problem of bipolar disorder disguised as major depression disorder: An integrative review. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2018 doi: 10.1177/1078390318784360.Li, K., Richards, E. & Goes, F.S.Racial differences in the major clinical symptom domains of bipolar disorder. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2023. doi.org: 10.1186/s40345-023-00299-3
National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.
National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.
Stiles BM, Fish AF, Vandermause R, Malik AM.The compelling and persistent problem of bipolar disorder disguised as major depression disorder: An integrative review. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc. 2018 doi: 10.1177/1078390318784360.
Li, K., Richards, E. & Goes, F.S.Racial differences in the major clinical symptom domains of bipolar disorder. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2023. doi.org: 10.1186/s40345-023-00299-3
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