One of the most serious mental Illnesses is also one of the most difficult to diagnose. Bipolar Disorder can also exist hand in hand with other illnesses making it more difficult to detect and diagnose.

Another reason for the difficulty in detection is that sometimes people go for about 10 years suffering from the illness, not realizing they have one, yet knowing they just do not seem to be on par with other people. Their moods are so extreme that their life often goes on hold while they battle periods of high elation where they can do some really crazy things that even they do not understand, and then periods of deep depression when they do not want to face the world or get out of bed.

Even when people do go to their doctors, they never do when they are high and in a happy mood, they go when they are depressed and then they do not report the happy moods only the depressed ones and that leads to a wrong diagnoses such as clinical depression, because this is the only information in which the doctor has to work with.

The Bipolar I category is a tricky one; the doctor can misdiagnose this manic phase of the illness because it resembles schizophrenia when hallucinations and delusions are involved. Bipolar I also shares some of the same characteristics of other disorders such as anxiety disorders thus, making wrong diagnosis extremely easy to accomplish.

Mood Disorder Questionnaire

A doctor will provide the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) for people who are suspected of having Bipolar Disorder. This questionnaire is a checklist to help the doctor diagnose Bipolar or any other mood disorders which may be present. Unfortunately there are no laboratory tests available that can isolate this illness from any other.

Doctor.s evaluation

The doctor is going to complete a psychiatric evaluation of the patient, and ask about the family history of any psychiatric conditions within the family. There is a genetic component between family members suffering from Bipolar Disorder. A parent or sibling can already have the illness and there may be a history of other anxiety disorders present as well.

The doctor is going to do a complete medical examination including bloods tests to rule out any physical condition, which might be causing the mood swings. Certain illnesses such as AIDS, thyroid condition, diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, epilepsy, or a brain injury can mimic the symptoms.

Once a physical or any other mental disorder has been ruled out then the doctor will diagnose Bipolar Disorder if the patient has the classical symptoms. Patients must have both episodes of mania and depression to be given this diagnosis if only depression is present then the diagnosis would be depression and not Bipolar Disorder.

Early diagnosis

It is so important to get an early diagnosis. The sooner the illness is detected the sooner treatment can commence and the individual can get his or her life back on track. There is no cure for Bipolar Disorder, it is a lifelong illness but there is treatment for managing the symptoms allowing individuals to live a normal life. Without treatment the symptoms only get worse and the individual enters a down whirl spiral of destruction caused by reckless behavior, unclear thinking, and terrible, terrible, mood swings. Getting the treatment necessary will help thwart off suicide ideation, alcoholism, gambling, illegal drug use, family problems, school or work related problems, and social problems.

Once a diagnosis has been made the treatment plan will include medication, therapy and education. Medication will help balance out the moods and diminish their frequency and therapy and education will help the individual suffering from Bipolar Disorder to cope with the stressors and cope with the essentials of everyday life.

Related Articles

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• Bipolar Psychosis
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• Bipolar 2
• Signs of Bipolar Disorder
• Bipolar Children

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