While there are different strategies and tools to screen for and diagnose bipolar disorder, the process should always be led by a trained psychiatrist.
Whilebipolar disordercan often be mistaken for moodiness or mood swings, it is a serious mental health condition. While there can be many signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder, a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder is required to meet certain criteria.
There is no clear biomarker or blood test that can be used to determine if someone has bipolar disorder, which can make the diagnosing process complex.Bipolar screeningand diagnosis require several steps, and the process is guided by strict regulations and criteria.Screening for bipolar disorderis done by a psychiatrist who uses clinical assessment tools to help evaluate symptoms.
Apsychiatristcan help you compare your symptoms to those that match the criteria for bipolar disorder. While recognizing the signs of bipolar may seem straightforward, accurate screening and diagnosis require a trained medical professional.
Clinical Assessment Tools
To measure and understand a patient’s symptoms, psychiatrists use a set of tools in their assessment. These are usually questionnaires or interviews that have been developed and tested to capture relevant symptoms for adiagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Ready to Break Free From Addiction?
If you’re seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. Don’t wait—start your journey to recovery today.
Bipolar screening toolshave been developed so that they are easy to use and can ensure the correct diagnosis. The tools used todiagnose bipolarare designed as a semi-structured interview. This means that the interview will not necessarily follow a set list of questions, but will include open-ended questions and discussion. Examples of these tools include theStructured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID)and theSchedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS).
These tools are similar, but usedifferent diagnosticmanuals as their guide. They provide question prompts during the interview process to guide the interviewer. These prompts will often ask the interviewee about their experiences, thoughts, symptoms that would rule out a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. These tools have certain thresholds for a clinical diagnosis.
Self-Report Measures
Self-report measures, or questionnaires that are filled out directly by the patient, can help a psychiatrist get an idea of a person’s symptoms or how they may change over time. Whileself-assessments for bipolar disordercan be a guide or record of symptoms, they are not the gold-standard for a formal diagnosis.
Administeringbipolar screening questionscan be time-consuming, and a health professional may not have adequate training or resources to conduct an interview. In this case,self-assessment for bipolar disordercan be a useful tool in obtaining a formal diagnosis. There are a few common measures used, including theGeneral Behavior InventoryandMood Disorder Questionnaire.
These measures ask questions about symptoms, where patients report if, how often and how intensely they experience those symptoms. The total score is added up to assess whether bipolar disorder is likely to present.
Mental disorders often have a lot of overlap. Accurately diagnosing them is complicated and requires years of training. Self-report measures can be helpful, but should not be the only tool used for diagnosis.
Diagnostic Assessment of Bipolar II
Bipolar IIfollows a similar pattern to the more well-known bipolar disorder. This form of bipolar disorder includes depressive periods as well as periods of hypomania, which are less severe than full manic episodes. Because the manic phase is less extreme, bipolar II can bemore difficultto recognize and diagnose.
Diagnosis of bipolar II can be made using semi-structured interviews like the SCID. Bipolar II can often be misdiagnosed or mistreated, which can worsen symptoms and outcomes. It’s important that this assessment is done by a trained psychiatrist to ensure it is as accurate as possible.
Assessment of Symptom Severity
Once a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is given, it’s important to track symptoms over time to assess whether treatment is effective. This is mainly done by a clinician interviewing their patients on their symptoms and how often and severely they experience them. Two common tools used to monitor symptoms are theYoung Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)and theBech-Rafaelsen Mania Rating Scale (MAS).
Tracking symptoms is an important part ofbipolar disorder treatment. If symptoms worsen over time, this can prompt an adjustment in medication or therapy.
Misdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
Many types of mental disorders have similar symptoms, like changes in mood and behavior. Often, the differences between one disorder and another are subtle. Bipolar disorder, characterized by both a depressive and manic phase, shares similarities with disorders like depression, personality disorders or even schizophrenia.
Amisdiagnosis of bipolar disordercan be harmful, as it can lead to the wrong treatment or no treatment at all. To avoid misdiagnosis, it’s important to be assessed by a trained professional.
If you suspect that you or someone you care about may be suffering from a substance use disorder as a result of bipolar disorder,contactThe Recovery Village today to discuss treatment options.
