“Bipolar disorder is a clinical diagnosis, as are all mental health disorders,” says Gail Saltz, MD, Psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine. That means the doctor makes the diagnosis based on signs and symptoms instead of laboratory test results.
In addition to listening to your experience, symptoms, and examining your family history, manic symptoms are ultimately what distinguishes bipolar disorder from unipolar depression.
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
Awad, AG, et al. (2007). Quality of life among bipolar disorder patients misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
MedlinePlus. (2021). Bipolar disorder.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017). Bipolar disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Bipolar disorder.
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