How to Prove Untreated Bipolar

If someone possibly suffering from bipolar disorder has not been treated and/or diagnosed by a doctor, it is difficult for a non-medical professional to "prove" that they suffer from this disease. Because symptoms of this condition may be the same or similar to other disorders, it may be easy to confuse bipolar with another health problem, whether it be mental or physical. The following are steps one can take to determine whether or not a person may be bipolar. If you feel that someone is bipolar, and they have not yet been treated, encourage them to seek a psychiatric evaluation immediately.

Things You'll Need

• doctor or psychiatrist
• books and informational materiels on bipolar disorder

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Instructions

How to prove untreated bipolar

• 1

  Ask the person how they are feeling. If they refuse to tell you, take it upon yourself to monitor their moods. If you live with the person who you suspect is bipolar, this will be easy to do. Keep a journal of their moods so you will have the information for their prospective doctor. This will help with the doctor's diagnosis.

• 2

  Make note of the extent of their behaviors. It is easy to confuse someone who becomes excited easily or has the temporary case of the "blues," with someone who is actually bipolar. Their actions and state of mind may also be due to hundreds of other conditions. For example, a woman may be suffering from PMMD (Premenstral Dysphoric Disorder) which is a severe form of PMS (Premenstral Syndrome) which symptoms often mimic those of a bipolar person.

• 3

  Try to determine whether they may suffer from bipolar I or bipolar II. Are they experiencing feelings of ups and downs, going from depressed to happy in short periods of time? If so, this could mean that he or she suffers from bipolar II disorder, a condition which almost always involves rapid mood changes.

• 4

  In the case of bipolar I, the person will experience episodes of mania and depression that are fewer and farther in between. They will usually act eccentric, confident and make grandeur plans which they will not follow through. They may stay up all night, seemingly needing no sleep and working on projects, yet getting little accomplished. They may show signs of an inflated sense of self-confidence. But eventually, their manic state will dissolve into a deep state of depression which can last for weeks or months. They may appear irritable, angry, have a hopeless outlook on life and feel suicidal.