How to Tell if it's Bipolar or Depression

Bipolar disorder is often incorrectly diagnosed as major depression. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental disorder characterized by mood changes. The condition causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by hopelessness, sadness, difficulty functioning and changes in sleep and appetite. Bipolar disorder often takes longer to be diagnosed than major depression, according to a 1994 study published by Jennifer D. Lish and colleagues in the "Journal of Affective Disorders."

Instructions

• 1

  Follow your mood changes by keeping a daily journal. Look for symptoms of mania. Mania represents the "high" of bipolar disorder and is characterized by euphoria, increased energy and grandiosity. Sometimes manias can involve irritability or even symptoms of depression. If you've experienced periods of both highs and lows, you might have bipolar disorder. If you've experienced only low periods and normal mood, you might have depression.

• 2

  See a psychiatrist or psychologist, and describe your symptoms openly and honestly. Give a complete history of symptoms, including age of onset and any instances of mania or abnormally elevated mood. Only a health-care provider can make the final diagnosis of depression or bipolar disorder.

• 3

  Tell your doctor if you have ever experienced a manic or mixed state while taking antidepressants. A mixed state is a mood state in which symptoms of both mania and depression are present. According to a 1995 study published by L.L. Altshuler and colleagues in the "American Journal of Psychiatry," people with bipolar disorder who take antidepressants might experience mania or mixed states, particularly if they are not taking mood stabilizers. Mood stabilizers are used to treat bipolar disorder.

• 4

  State when you experienced your first depressive episode. Bipolar disorder typically has a younger age of onset, according to a 1996 study published by Myrna M. Weissman and colleagues in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." The average age of onset for bipolar disorder is 19, according to "Psychology Today." The average age of onset for major depression is between 20 and 40, according to the World Health Organization.

• 5

  Ask if any of your family members have or have had a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Bipolar disorder is more common in family members of people with the disorder, according to a 2003 study published by J.W. Smoller and C.T. Finn in the "American Journal of Medical Genetics."

• 6

  Explain if you've had any somatic symptoms of depression and anxiety. Somatic symptoms are physical symptoms such as blurring vision; hot and cold flushes; feelings of weakness; pricking sensation; pressure or constriction in chest; choking sensations; sighing; amenorrhea, or loss of a period; premature ejaculation; loss of libido; and impotence. Somatic symptoms are greater in people with major depression, according to a 2006 study published by Roy H. Perlis and colleagues in the "American Journal of Psychiatry."

• 7

  Describe symptoms of tension or edginess and fearfulness to your health-care provider. They are more severe in people with bipolar disorder, according to the 2006 Perlis study.