Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is often hard to recognize and diagnose, because the symptoms are seen in various other psychological disorders too. But, a primary symptom obvious in bipolar disorder patients is mood and energy fluctuation, which results in disruptive sleeping patterns, lack of concentration and interest loss in activities at various times.
There are many sub-types of the bipolar disorder. These subtypes of bipolar condition are phases of constant change, and a person might remain in one subtype or keep fluctuating between different subtypes.
The bipolar disorder is clinically categorized into four types. These four types are described in great detail in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR, which is used as an instructional method for diagnosing bipolar disorder and other mental conditions. The diagnostic levels are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia and Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
For type 1 bipolar condition to be diagnosed, an episode of mania or a mixed episode is essential, with or without the presence of a depressive episode. However, depressive episodes are frequently associated with bipolar disorder.
Meanwhile, Bipolar II, which occurs more frequently is usually characterized by at least one episode of hypomania and at least one depression episode.
Cyclothymic Disorder disagnosis needs a lot more symptomatic behavior conditions, such as several hypomaniac incidents, and depression episodes which cannot be fully categorized under Depression (the mental condition). In Cyclothymics, the mental condition is a low-grade cycle, which seems like mood swings to a casual observer, but is in fact an underlying version of the bipolar disorder, which disrupts normal routing for the patient.
For those individuals who seem to be suffering from some type of bipolar disorder as characterized by mood swings with highs and lows, but the patient doesn’t meet the criteria for one of the subtypes outlined above, he or she may have Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
The most commonly mistaken diagnosis for cases of bipolar condition is clinical depression. They are usually wrongly diagnosed and people related to the patient like family, friends, need to be inquired for presence of hypo or hyper maniac episodes.
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