Understanding Bipolar Symptoms Better
Posted by Administrator in Mental Health.When making a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, it is important that the physician rule out other conditions that may be causing symptoms of bipolar disorder symptoms.
Distinguishing Mania from Normal Euphoria or Joy. A major difficulty with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is the tendency for a patient to be unable to recognize his or her own condition, particularly the manic form. The patient often denies these symptoms, which they may perceive as positive feelings. The physician should take a careful and complete history of any and all episodes of depression, mania, or both. Hypomania, the less severe variant of mania, may be particularly difficult to distinguish from normal joy or euphoria. It can often be differentiated by the following characteristics:
*Hypomania persists for at least four days. *Most patients with hypomania are easily distracted and overly talkative. *Patients with hypomania tend to not function very well.
Distinguishing Unipolar from Bipolar Depression. People with bipolar disorder are more likely to first seek help because of a depressive episode. Indeed about 16% of people with bipolar disorder do not have a manic episode until they have experienced three or more depressive episodes. In such cases, the condition is often diagnosed as depression. An accurate diagnosis is important because bipolar disorder patients who are inappropriately medicated with antidepressants (antidepressants can initiative mania in bipolar patients) have a higher incidence of rehospitalization than other bipolar disorder patients do. Read more