The diagnosis of bipolar disorder is a delicate process. A person can go on with their life not knowing they are afflicted with this condition because the symptoms are very hard to detect. This is because the condition features multiple episodes. The manic phase are incorrectly perceived as a normal personality and therefore only the depressive symptoms are only described, and as a result, people with bipolar disorder are often incorrectly diagnosed with just depression. The article will give you a description on how bipolar disorder is diagnosed.
A questionnaire is used to diagnose bipolar because lab exams are unreliable. This questionnaire must be answered by the patient so that the doctor can evaluate whether he or she is recommended for further tests or treatment.
A process of elimination in diagnostics is employed by doctors so they can concentrate on the current one. Diagnosing bipolar disorder includes the person’s medical and psychiatric history. Medical history will include the current symptoms and the results of physical examination. A reason for this is other illnesses and conditions produce similar symptoms of bipolar disorder. These includes a lot of ailments such as thyroid disorders, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, lupus, diabetes, epilepsy, salt imbalance, brain tumor and head injury.
On the other hand, in the psychiatric history that is used for diagnosis of bipolar disorder, the person will be asked about symptoms of mental conditions. Other family members have to submit their medical history especially if they are experiencing the same symptoms because this condition is passed on from one generation to another. The questionnaire asks about the frequency of mood swings since this is one of the characteristics of bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is diagnosed through careful observation and examination of the symptoms. The symptoms must be an everyday ocurrence. If there is no manic depressive episode, and the person only suffers depression, therefore it is not bipolar disorder but unipolar depression.
