Diagnosis Questions for Bipolar Disorder

In order to get the proper treatment for any illness or disorder, you must first be sure that you have an accurate diagnosis. With mental illness such as bipolar disorder, treatment for an incorrect diagnosis can actually make you feel worse or even threaten your life. If you suspect you have bipolar disorder, your health care provider will need you to answer some specific questions in order to confirm this.

Questions About Physical Health

• Sometimes physical ailments can cause symptoms that mimic bipolar disorder. Your doctor will ask questions about your diet, health history and any medications you're taking. You may need to have a blood test done in a laboratory to test your thyroid function. Treating thyroid disease can make symptoms of bipolar disorder go away (Oddly enough, some treatments for bipolar can actually cause thyroid problems.)

Questions About Emotional/Mood Symptoms

• Changes in mood are usually what leads people to seek help for bipolar disorder, and questions about your moods and overall emotional health are vital to the diagnosis. You will be asked about extreme highs and lows in your moods, and the duration of the moods will be looked into, as well as any periods of relative normalcy in between. Your behavior during these moods is important, and the doctor will ask you such things as do you do things that jeopardize your health, life, or relationships? Are you impulsive or feeling suicidal? Does your personality seem to change during these episodes?

  Besides the mood swings, your doctor needs to know about things happening in your life that may cause changes in behavior and mood. Emotional reactions to dramatic events, both positive and negative, are normal. Bipolar mood swings tend to be more arbitrary, and while they may be precipitated by life events, the duration and extremity of the moods are out of proportion to the situation. Your reactions may be inappropriate as well: You may feel numb when faced with a traumatic event or unable to feel joy when something wonderful has happened.

  Your doctor will ask if you hear voices in your head or do you see things that aren't there? Through conversations with you, questions about whether you may be delusional or otherwise disturbed will be answered.

Questions About Family History

• There may be a genetic component to bipolar disorder, so your doctor will need to know as much as possible about any of your relatives who have had bipolar or other mental illness.