What can be mistaken for bipolar disorder?

As mentioned previously, the most common misdiagnosis for bipolar patients is unipolar depression. An incorrect diagnosis of unipolar depression carries the risk of inappropriate treatment with antidepressants, which can result in manic episodes and trigger rapid cycling.

What Can bipolar disorder be confused with?

Mental disorders which may be commonly confused with bipolar disorder include Borderline Personality Disorder , Schizoaffective Disorder, Unipolar Depression, and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.

What has similar symptoms to bipolar?

Cyclothymia symptoms alternate between emotional highs and lows. The highs of cyclothymia include symptoms of an elevated mood (hypomanic symptoms). The lows consist of mild or moderate depressive symptoms. Cyclothymia symptoms are similar to those of bipolar I or II disorder, but they're less severe.

How do you rule out bipolar disorder?

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.

Can a bipolar diagnosis be wrong?

Patients experience dramatic mood swings between euphoria and severe depression; they may have hallucinations or delusions. Patients with anxiety, agitation, irritability, and restlessness that does not persist are sometimes misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, Zimmerman says.

What It's Like When BPD Is Misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder

Is there a blood test for bipolar?

Your doctor can't diagnose bipolar disorder from a brain scan or blood test. However, new research has uncovered a possible link between the expression of a key brain molecule and the diagnosis of mood disorders.

How often is bipolar overdiagnosed?

Only 33% of patients previously diagnosed with a bipolar disorder met full criteria for Bipolar I or II. The authors concluded that 67% of patients were overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder (Goldberg et al., 2008). The Hirschfeld et al.

What are 5 signs of bipolar?

How long does it take to diagnose bipolar?

On average, it took 3.5 (±5.8) years to confirm a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder following the first major mood episode. Approximately one-fourth of the total sample waited 5 or more years before receiving the diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, and 12.4% waited 10 or more years from the first major mood episode.

Can anxiety mimic bipolar?

How are bipolar disorder mania and anxiety similar? Experiences of mania and anxiety can feel similar. An episode of mania and anxiety can share symptoms like trouble with sleep, racing thoughts, agitation, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating.

Can you be slightly bipolar?

Cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder, is often considered a milder and chronic form of bipolar disorder (previously known as manic-depressive disorder). People with cyclothymia experience cyclic “high” and “lows” as portrayed by large swings in mood and energy levels that negatively affect their ability to function.

Is bipolar brain damage?

A study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center indicates that people with bipolar disorder may suffer progressive brain damage.

Am I bipolar or do I have ADHD?

Bipolar disorder is primarily a mood disorder. ADHD affects attention and behavior; it causes symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. While ADHD is chronic or ongoing, bipolar disorder is usually episodic, with periods of normal mood interspersed with depression, mania, or hypomania.

How do I tell my doctor I think I have bipolar?

Have your concerns written down on a sheet of paper to make sure you cover all areas. Be specific as to the problems of bipolar depression, hypomania, or mania. Give specific details of mood symptoms and behaviors to the doctor. Describe any severe mood changes, especially anger, depression, and aggressiveness.

Am I bipolar or do I have borderline personality disorder?

People with bipolar disorder tend to experience mania and depression while people with BPD experience intense emotional pain and feelings of emptiness, desperation, anger, hopelessness, and loneliness. Time: In BPD, mood changes are often more short-lived. They may last for only a few hours at a time.

Does bipolar show on MRI?

Thousands of MRI scans

The study showed thinning of gray matter in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder when compared with healthy controls. The greatest deficits were found in parts of the brain that control inhibition and motivation - the frontal and temporal regions.

At what age do you develop bipolar?

People with bipolar experience high and low moods—known as mania and depression—which differ from the typical ups-and-downs most people experience. The average age-of-onset is about 25, but it can occur in the teens, or more uncommonly, in childhood.

What does a bipolar episode look like?

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.

Are you born with bipolar?

Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.

Can chronic stress cause bipolar?

A stressful circumstance or situation often triggers the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Examples of stressful triggers include: the breakdown of a relationship. physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

Can you outgrow bipolar?

With symptoms often starting in early adulthood, bipolar disorder has been thought of traditionally as a lifelong disorder. Now, researchers have found evidence that nearly half of those diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 may outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30.

Can a family doctor diagnose bipolar disorder?

Primary care physicians can provide comprehensive care for patients with bipolar disorder by diagnosing and treating the psychiatric disorder and psychiatric comorbidities, providing medical care, and educating and supporting patients and their families.

What medication is prescribed for mood swings?

Can thyroid problems cause bipolar depression?

Both thyroid dysfunction and antithyroid antibodies have been widely reported to be associated with affective disorders. Cross-sectional [1, 2] or cohort studies [3, 4] have found that hypothyroidism increased risk of developing depression or bipolar disorder.

Can Adderall help with bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a type of mental health condition characterized by extreme shifts in mood. It can be treated with a variety of different medications, as well as with therapy. Sometimes, a stimulant medication called Adderall may be used to treat depressive symptoms of bipolar disorder.