Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder: Introduction
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder,
involves cycles of alternating mania and depressive symptoms.
It is an under-diagnosed disorder with many cases misdiagnosed for years.
Many cases of bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed as clinical depression
because patients tend to seek treatment during the down phases,
rather than the euphoric manic phases.
Other possible misdiagnoses include anxiety disorders,
borderline personality disorder, and
schizophrenia.
There are several subtypes of bipolar disorder, including
the milder bipolar II disorder,
that need
to be carefully distinguished for accurate diagnosis.
Symptoms of Bipolar disorder
See full list of 57
symptoms of Bipolar disorder
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Bipolar disorder:
- Child Behavior: Home Testing
- Mental Health (Adults): Home Testing
- Mental Health: Home Testing:
- Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
- more tests...»
Bipolar disorder: Complications
Review possible medical complications related to Bipolar disorder:
Disease Topics Related To Bipolar disorder
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Bipolar disorder:
Medical Textbooks Online about Bipolar disorder
Medical Books Excerpts
- DEPRESSION
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- Depression
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Depression
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Depression
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Wrongly Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder: Self Assessment Tools
Bipolar disorder: Medical Mistakes
Bipolar disorder: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Bipolar disorder:
Bipolar disorder: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Bipolar disorder
Rare epilepsy can cause a variety of severe emotional and depressive symptoms: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on
a case of a woman with severe personality and...read more »
Physical disorders often hidden causes of depression: It is a common misdiagnosis to diagnose a psychological
or psychiatric disorder, such as depression, when symptoms are
actually caused by an...read more »
Underactive thryoid may be misdiagnosed as depression: Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is an endocrine gland disorder that
is more common in women.
It can mimic many diseases, including depression.
The patient often...read more »
Cushing's disease can be mistaken for depression: Cushing's disease (or similarly Cushing's syndrome) is a possible misdiagnosis for a person
diagnosed with depression.
It is an endocrine disorder with...read more »
Manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder often misdiagnosed: Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, is often
misdiagnosed before reaching a correct diagnosis.
Some of the common misdiagnoses include depression...read more »
Calcium disorder a hidden cause of depression-like symptoms: Another uncommon endocrine disorder that
can be misdiagnosed as depression is ...read more »
Rare seizure-less epilepsy misdiagnosed as various conditions: A complex partial seizure disorder,
such as temporal lobe epilepsy
can be...read more »
Multiple sclerosis often misdiagnosed as mental disorder: The early stages of multiple sclerosis may cause
various general feelings of wellness, happiness, euphoria, or manic-type symptoms
in some patients.
These symptoms...read more »
Lupus is often misdiagnosed as other conditions: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often simply called "lupus",
is a difficult disease to diagnose and can manifest with numerous symptoms.
Some of the possible misdiagnoses include ...read more »
Rare copper disease insidious and misdiagnosed: Wilson's disease (a form of copper overload) is a rare disorder that
has a slow and insidious onset that can often fail to be diagnosed.
Copper builds up in...read more »
Insidious cancer misdiagnosed as mental health condition: Pancreatic cancer is fortunately relatively rare,
but this dangerous condition can be misdiagnosed...read more »
Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of
medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose,...read more »
Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who
had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness
because he suffered from sudden...read more »
Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease
is often over-diagnosed.
Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness...read more »
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for
a patient to show mental decline to dementia.
Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical...read more »
Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms
of severe brain injury are hard to miss,
it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis.
The...read more »
ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD
in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults.
Some adults can remain undiagnosed, and indeed the condition has usually been...read more »
MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms
such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked.
This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain...read more »
Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder)
often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians.
Many patients with bipolar seek help from their...read more »
Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with
an eating disorder is female.
The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to...read more »
Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be
undiagnosed in teenagers.
The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression
to be overlooked.
See misdiagnosis of depression or ...read more »
Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition
that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed.
It may be misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease or dementia (such as Alzheimer's...read more »
Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had
suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return.
A variety of...read more »
Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be
correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients.
These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers,...read more »
Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression)
may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see ...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:
Hospitals & Clinics: Bipolar disorder
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Bipolar disorder:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Bipolar disorder,
on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Bipolar disorder: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Causes of Bipolar disorder
- People with an immediate family member with bipolar disorder are at higher risk
- Genetic factors
- Environmental influence
- Childhood precursors
- Life events and experiences
- more causes...»
Read more about causes of Bipolar disorder
More information about causes of Bipolar disorder:
Treatments for Bipolar disorder
See full list of 31
treatments for Bipolar disorder
News Archives for Bipolar disorder
Medical news articles related to Bipolar disorder include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Bipolar disorder
Medical research articles related to Bipolar disorder include:
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
Videos for Bipolar disorder
Major depression is more than just suffering from a bad mood. It can affect just about everything you do, from how you sleep at night to how well you...
How do you know if your bad mood represents something more serious? Learn how to recognize the various types of depression, and what you can do to...
How do you know if you have depression? Learn what's involved in diagnosing the problem, and if your depression is the result of a biological...
Many people with epilepsy also experience depression. What can you do?
See full list of 7 related videos
Patient Surveys for Bipolar disorder
Prognosis for Bipolar disorder
Prognosis for Bipolar disorder:
For many individuals with bipolar disorder a good prognosis results from good treatment, which, in turn, results from an accurate diagnosis. Because bipolar disorder can have a high rate of both under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, it is often difficult for individuals with the condition to receive timely and competent treatment.
More about prognosis of Bipolar disorder
Reseach about Bipolar disorder
Visit our research pages for current research about Bipolar disorder treatments.
Clinical Trials for Bipolar disorder
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Bipolar disorder include:
See full list of 305
Clinical Trials for Bipolar disorder
Statistics for Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder: Broader Related Topics
Types of Bipolar disorder
Types of Bipolar disorder
- Bipolar I disorder - recurrent episodes of mania and depression
- Bipolar II disorder - episodes of mild mania (hypomania) and depression
- Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder - 4 or more episodes a year
- more types...»
Read more about Types of Bipolar disorder
Curable Types of Bipolar disorder
Possibly curable types of Bipolar disorder include:
Rare Types of Bipolar disorder:
Rare types of Bipolar disorder include:
Stories from Users Related to Bipolar disorder
Related forums and medical stories:
User Interactive Forums
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Bipolar disorder, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Article Excerpts about Bipolar disorder
Going to Extremes Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
There is a tendency to romanticize bipolar disorder. Many artists,
musicians and writers have suffered from its mood swings. But in truth,
many lives are ruined by this disease; and without effective treatment,
the illness is associated with an increased risk of suicide. (Source: excerpt from Going to Extremes Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)
Bipolar Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
a
brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and
ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone
goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result
in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even
suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and
people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. (Source: excerpt from Bipolar Disorder: NIMH)
Definitions of Bipolar disorder:
A major affective disorder marked by severe mood swings (manic or major depressive episodes) and a tendency to remission and recurrence.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
A mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Ophanet, a consortium of European partners,
currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000.
They list Bipolar disorder as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet
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