1. Bipolar Disorder Slideshow Pictures
2. Bipolar Disorder (Mania) Quiz
3. Depression Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• Bipolar disorder facts
• What is bipolar disorder?
• What is the history of bipolar disorder?
• What are the types of bipolar disorder?
• What are bipolar disorder causes and risk factors?
• What are bipolar disorder symptoms and signs in adults, teenagers, and children?
• How is bipolar disorder diagnosed?
• What illnesses often coexist with bipolar disorder?
• What are bipolar disorder medications and other treatments? Are there any home remedies or alternative treatments for bipolar disorder?
• How is bipolar disorder treated during pregnancy and the postpartum period?
• What are complications and prognosis/effects over time of bipolar disorder?
• Can bipolar disorder be prevented?
• Where can people find more information about bipolar disorder?
• Where can people find support to help them cope with bipolar disorder?
• Bipolar Disorder (Mania) FAQs
• Patient Comments: Bipolar Disorder - Support
• Patient Comments: Bipolar Disorder - Types
• Patient Comments: Bipolar Disorder - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Bipolar Disorder (Mania) - Effective Treatments
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Bipolar Disorder Index

As is true with virtually any mental health diagnosis, there is no one test that definitively indicates that someone has bipolar disorder. Therefore, health care professionals diagnose this disease by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental health information. The health care professional will also either perform a physical examination or request that the individual's primary care doctor perform one. The medical examination will usually include lab tests to evaluate the person's general health and to explore whether or not the individual has a medical condition that might have mental health symptoms.

In asking questions about mental health symptoms, mental health professionals are often exploring if the individual suffers from depression and/or manic symptoms but also anxiety, substance abuse, hallucinations or delusions, as well as some personality and behavioral disorders. Health care professionals may provide the people they evaluate with a quiz or self-test as a screening tool for bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Since some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder can also occur in other mental illnesses, the mental health screening is to determine if the individual suffers from bipolar disorder, an anxiety disorder like panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The examiner also explores whether the person with bipolar disorder suffers from other mental illnesses like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other psychotic disorders, or a substance abuse, personality, or behavior disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Any disorder that is associated with sudden changes in behavior, mood, or thinking, like a psychotic disorder, borderline personality disorder, or multiple personality disorder (MPD), may be particularly challenging to distinguish from bipolar disorder. In order to assess the person's current emotional state, health care professionals perform a mental status examination as well.