Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
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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.
The diagnosic subtypes of bipolar disorder are static descriptions of a disease in constant change, and individuals may stay in one subtype or change between the varying degress of bipolar over the course of their illness.
As clinically diagnosed, there are currently four types of bipolar illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR, the method used to diagnose the disorder and other mental diseases, details four categories of bipolar disorder. These categories are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia, and Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
For a diagnosis of Bipolar I disorder, there must be a manic or mixed episode, but a depressive episdoe is not required for diagnosis. Though it is not required, a depressive episode frequently occurs.
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.
Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is the last type, wherein the characteristics include mood swings with highs and lows, but the patient does not fulfill other diagnostic criteria for any other subtypes.
Most bipolar patients will be depressed when they first seek help, and it is easy for these patients to be misdiagnosed as having just clinical depression. It is important for practicioners to investigate with the patient, and his or her family and friends to determine if a manic or hypomanic episode has ever occurred.
