According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), roughly 2.6 percent of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from bipolar disorder per year. Over 50 percent of those with bipolar disorder are diagnosed by the age of 25.

Identification

Categorized as a mood disorder, bipolar disorder is comprised of emotional highs and lows. Manic episodes make a person feel invincible and energetic but also cause high irritability, impulsiveness, reckless behavior and increased consumption of drugs and alcohol. Depressive episodes are marked by fatigue, weight gain or loss, lack of interest, feelings of hopelessness or emptiness. There may be periods of normalcy in between these mood episodes.

Diagnosis

Bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can appear to be separate occurrences of odd behavior or bad days. The University of Maryland estimates that only a third of people suffering with this disorder are actually diagnosed. The key to accurate diagnosis is to define mood episodes as periods of mania and depression instead of normal ups and downs experienced by everyone. Generally, this is done by taking into account the length and severity of the symptoms.

Mania and Hypomania

Mania can be relatively easy to distinguish because its symptoms are severe, so much so that the sufferer may require hospitalization. Hypomania, however, is more difficult to recognize because it has the same symptoms of mania but is subdued so that it may look like happiness or euphoria. Some conditions of diagnosing hypomania are that the symptoms persist for four days, the patient is easily distracted, is talkative and has difficulty functioning normally.

Depression

Depression is fairly easy to recognize and diagnose. The difficulty comes in diagnosing a depressive period and identifying manic or hypomanic episodes preceding a depressive episode in order to recognize bipolar disorder. A patient suffering from bipolar disorder who only is treated for depression will have a much higher rate of rehospitalization than those treated for bipolar disorder. To avoid this, suspicions should be raised for patients who recover quickly from depression but then have a fast return to a depressive episode and a lack of response to antidepressants.

Prognosis

Bipolar disorder is highly treatable but has no cure. Treatment is a life-long process, requiring diligence and regularity for the best chance of keeping symptoms as mild as possible and lengthening the time between mood episodes. Bipolar disorder is treated with medication and therapy. Early detection and treatment also greatly increases the odds for a successful treatment program.

Source:

National Institute of Mental Health

University of Maryland Medical Center

More Information:

Mental Help Net: Bipolar Disorder