Misdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in Adolescents

All adolescents have mood changes; it is part of their changing hormones. This makes accurately diagnosing bipolar disorder difficult for doctors. Many of the bipolar symptoms in adolescence are similar to those of other disorders, causing the illness to be misdiagnosed.

Depression

• One of the symptoms of a bipolar diagnosis is depressive episodes. While in one of these depressions, a teen may be diagnosed simply as having depression. The doctor may not see (or may not be told about) the manic episodes.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• ADHD is a frequent misdiagnosis of children and adolescents who are suffering from bipolar disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder

• Borderline personality disorder shares many symptoms with bipolar disorder, such as intense emotions, extreme mood changes and anxiety.

Schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are frequently confused in diagnoses. Some of the shared symptoms are delusions, disorganized thinking and lack of motivation.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

• The symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder are negativity, aggression and defiance. Many adolescents with bipolar disorder have these symptoms as well.

Warning

• Tell your family physician or psychiatrist of the frequency and duration of all moods so they can give an accurate diagnosis.