Bipolar disorder is a well-known and little-understood psychological condition, so many people who experience mood swings wonder whether or not they have it. If you are looking for a bipolar test that will help you figure out whether you have this treatable psychological disorder, please continue reading.
Bipolar disorder is a surprisingly common psychiatric condition, and it can produce a variety of symptoms. Because of the cyclical nature of bipolar disorder, it can often be confused with other mental disorders during either the depressive phase or the manic phase of the symptoms. The most common misdiagnosis during the depressive phase is, unsurprisingly, major depressive disorder. The problems is that the treatments typically given for depression can actually make bipolar symptoms even worse.
The presentations of individuals currently experiencing manic episodes can also vary widely, with misdoagnoses ranging from impulse control disorders to severe anxiety to schizophrenia. All of these disorders can at times resemble mania, and only a trained psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or mental health counselor will be able to discern the difference, and even then it will often take some time to distinguish between this mental disorder and some of the other mental disorders with similar symptomology. There can also sometimes be some diagnostic difficulty in discerning bipolar disorder from borderline personality disorder, particularly when a patient first presents for diagnosis and treatment.
As I mentioned, it can be confusing for lay persons to figure out whether they have bipolar disorder, and this confusion is only made worse by the fact that rates of misdiagnosis are so high. I can tell you the symptoms of bipolar disorder and list the diagnostic criteria, but if you are looking for a simple online bipolar test or online bipolar quiz that you can take that will tell you for sure, I would suggest an alternate course of action.
The best thing that you can do for yourself if you want to know how to tell if you have bipolar disease is to find a licensed clinical psychologist and tell them your suspicions, and ask them to perform a proper clinical assessment. Your job will be to answer all questions that they ask as honestly and as completely as you can, so that they can have the greatest chance of identifying the specific dynamics of what is going on with your emotions and develop a treatment plan. That's going to give you a lot better result than some kind of internet "Am I Bipolar" screening test that you can take at home.
There are also some medical conditions that can cause mood instability, so I would suggest going to your primary care physician and describing the symptoms to them first. They will be able to run through a thorough medical bipolar screening to rule out physical illness or abnormality. If they find nothing, ask them for a referral to a psychologist or other qualified mental health professional. Your doctor may also be familiar with newer research indicating the underlying causes and cures not necessarily for bipolar depression or mania per se, but for the specific symptoms that you experience. Never just assume that you are suffering from a specific illness without first consulting your doctor, no matter what the home bipolar test results might tell you.
Chicago Psychology is a community site where mental health professionals share their insights. If you are seeking psychotherapy or counseling in Chicago, you can get help right away by calling 312-869-2323.