How often is bipolar misdiagnosed?

In fact, a 2018 review reports that up to 40% of people with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed, most commonly with major depressive disorder. Sometimes it's hard to work out the most appropriate diagnosis, even for medical professionals.


How often is bipolar overdiagnosed?

Based on the literature findings, the rates of bipolar patients mistakenly diagnosed with MDD ranges from 10 to 40% [3, 4], with some authors suggesting even higher proportions of misdiagnosis.

Can you be falsely diagnosed with bipolar?

As per the survey taken by the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (DMDA), 69 percent of patients with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed initially and more than one-third remained misdiagnosed for 10 years or more.


What can mimic bipolar disorder?

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.

What is bipolar disorder commonly misdiagnosed as?

As a consequence, Schwartz says, those with bipolar disorder are often misdiagnosed as having depression and may be given inappropriate treatment. “When bipolar disorder is missed, people can be put on medication that actually worsens the manic symptoms,” Schwartz says.


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



Why bipolar disorder is often wrongly diagnosed?

Patients with bipolar disorder are often misdiagnosed as having unipolar depression in many circumstances. The reason is related to clinicians or patients lacking knowledge about manic and hypomanic symptoms.

Why is bipolar so hard to diagnose?

Bipolar disorder can be an elusive disorder for doctors to identify because the symptoms can vary widely and is often masked or exacerbated by other factors such as concurrent drug use or remission of symptoms. Stigma makes it even more difficult for people to get help.

How do you prove bipolar?

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.


What mental illness is similar to bipolar?

Cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder, causes mood changes – from feeling low to emotional highs. Cyclothymia has many similarities to bipolar disorder.

What does undiagnosed bipolar look like?

The main sign of bipolar disorder is extreme mood swings that go from emotional highs to emotional lows. Manic episodes cause people to seem very energetic, euphoric, or irritable. During depressive episodes, your loved one may seem sad, upset, or tired all the time.

Is bipolar disorder always obvious?

A person with bipolar disorder may be unaware they're in the manic phase. After the episode is over, they may be shocked at their behaviour. But at the time, they may believe other people are being negative or unhelpful. Some people with bipolar disorder have more frequent and severe episodes than others.


Can bipolar be mistaken for anxiety?

Bipolar disorder and anxiety are two mental health conditions that can look and feel similar. Some people also experience anxiety and bipolar disorder together. The differences come in the triggers behind the overarching symptoms.

What mimics bipolar 1?

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

What is the average age for bipolar diagnosis?

The average age-of-onset is about 25, but it can occur in the teens, or more uncommonly, in childhood. The condition affects men and women equally, with about 2.8% of the U.S. population diagnosed with bipolar disorder and nearly 83% of cases classified as severe.


Do people remember bipolar episodes?

Detection of mania, or at least of brief hypomania, is required for diagnosis of bipolar disorder. This diagnosis is often missed or not remembered as an illness. People close to the patient may recall episodes, however, and patients who do not remember episodes of affective disturbance may recall their consequences.

Can bipolar symptoms change daily?

The frequency and duration of bipolar cycles are as varied as the people who experience them. A change or "mood swing" can last for hours, days, weeks, or even months.

Can a brain MRI detect bipolar disorder?

MRIs and CT scans can provide detailed images of the brain and its structures. But currently, doctors don't use them to diagnose bipolar disorder. Detecting bipolar disorder is typically done through a diagnostic interview with a mental health professional.


What do they call bipolar now?

Overview. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).

Can multiple personality disorders be mistaken bipolar?

People with DID can appear to change moods frequently. While this is actually caused by different alters coming through, it can be mistaken for the cycling moods of bipolar disorder. The rapid changes in speech and thought common in mania also occur in DID. In DID, these changes occur during switching.

Can a blood test tell if you are 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.


What does being bipolar feel like?

People with bipolar experience both episodes of severe depression and episodes of mania – overwhelming joy, excitement or happiness, huge energy, a reduced need for sleep, and reduced inhibitions. The experience of bipolar is uniquely personal. No two people have exactly the same experience.

What is the most misdiagnosed disorder?

Bipolar is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health issues. Somewhere between 1.4 and 6.4 percent of people worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder. However, it's hard to say which number is more accurate due to the frequency of wrongful diagnosis.

Can childhood trauma cause bipolar?

Childhood trauma

Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions. This can include experiences like: Neglect.


Can complex trauma look like bipolar?

Often, complex PTSD can be misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder because the patient isn't sure of what symptoms they're actually experiencing that are related to their mental health issue, and therefore don't receive the proper treatment to mitigate their symptoms.

Can you be slightly bipolar?

Cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder) is a milder form of bipolar disorder. It involves frequent mood swings of hypomanic and depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mood disorder and mental health condition that causes intense shifts in mood, energy levels, thinking patterns and behavior.