Since bipolar disorder and depression both include depressive symptoms, the difference really boils down to mania. It only takes one manic episode to classify someone as having bipolar disorder instead of depression. Learn more about what a manic episode feels like here.
Dr. Samuels is an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and an assistant attending psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Michaelis is a clinical and media psychologist in New York City.
Dr. Saltz is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine and a psychoanalyst with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.
References
Altamura, AC, et al. (2011). Mood stabilizers for patients with bipolar disorder: the state of the art. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Bipolar disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Major depression.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Prevalence of bipolar disorder among adults.
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