Bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions are difficult to diagnose, and there are no medical tests that can be offered that will definitively point to any one of them. Mental health disorders typically are diagnosed using certain criteria defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). These criteria typically are behavior-related. It can help your physician more accurately diagnose your illness if he knows what triggers your behavior.

Tests

Make an appointment with your doctor if you believe you have a mental health disorder. He may do a physical exam to rule out organic causes for your symptoms. He may do a complete blood count or a urinalysis, which can highlight chemical imbalances, detect drug or alcohol abuse and determine that your organs are functioning properly. A dysfunctional liver can cause a personality disorder called hepatic encephalopathy.

Diary

Record your symptoms in a journal or diary. Note days and times of day you are happy and depressed. Detail the symptoms of your mood, noting if you are just happy or if you are happy to the point of being "wired" or jumpy, for example. When you are depressed, report the depth of the depression and note if you can't concentrate, have suicidal thoughts, can't sleep or forget things. Also note what happened on those days. Some of your moods may be related to events, such as the death of a loved one. Depression is a reasonable reaction to a death, but if it lasts for too long or your thoughts become suicidal, it is an extreme reaction to the event and could help your doctor with a diagnosis. Your doctor also will ask you and family members about your behavior and may administer psychological tests to rule out more severe mental disorders that lead to psychosis. A diary could assist him in determining which tests to administer. He most will likely work out a treatment plan that could involve medication, therapy or a combination of the two.

Drug abuse

Drugs or alcohol can contribute to mood swings and may be the only cause of what you think is a mood disorder. If that's the case, your symptoms should disappear after stopping the abuse. Their use also can be mistaken for the cause of your symptoms, which may result in your mental health condition going undiagnosed and untreated. Small things like this can assist your physician in ruling out other conditions that share symptoms with bipolar or disorders.

Source:

National Institute of Mental Health

Mayo Clinic

MedlinePlus hepatic encephalopathy