Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes mood swings which include emotional hypomania and depression. Additionally, episodes of mania including happiness, reduced sleep, and overwhelming joy are felt. Most patients experience emotional symptoms while on the episodes and some may not be felt (Knuesel & Mohajeri, 2021). This essay explains why bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose and why most people get a late-onset diagnosis.
The Biopsychosocial Approach
The biopsychological approach imply that a variety of psychological disorders are influenced by sociocultural, biological, and psychological factors. From a biological perspective, disfunction of the amygdala and ventral prefrontal parts of the brain is a mechanism for bipolar disorder. Imbalance of neurotransmitters chemicals which control the brain functions causes bipolar. The disease can also be transmitted genetically from one person to another. The psychological aspect of bipolar include prolonged drug abuse which alter the normal behavior. Stress originating from existing events like divorce and death of a family member, and trauma lead to bipolar symptoms. Alternatively, having first degree relatives with bipolar disorder can lead to its spread. Sociocultural factors include poor family and friend relationships, hard economic status, and existing cultural beliefs towards the disorder. Failure to interact with friends leads to isolation which later develops into depression.
Reasons for Difficulty in Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
There exist different subtypes of bipolar disorders making it difficult to differentiate the distinct variations. Bipolar disorder type 2 and unipolar depression have similar symptoms making it difficult to diagnose by healthcare professionals (Grison, & Gazzaniga, 2022). Mistakes in the diagnosis procedure for the two disorders have many consequences including inappropriate medications. Antidepressants administered in the absence of mood stabilizing compliments can lead to switching mania and accompany high care costs. Therefore, the long-term effects of misdiagnosis can be eliminated by identifying signs of hypomania at an early stage.
Patients showing bipolar disorder type 2 report in hospital for medications show depressive symptoms which are common when compared with to manic signs. Mixed mood swing episodes are common in patients with bipolar disorder (Tondo e al., 2022). Additionally, depression is common creating barriers to the administration of drugs. The traditional view of bipolar disorder being characterized by hypomania symptoms poses a challenge to patients. Healthcare professionals, therefore, are exposed to risks of medical errors worsening the existing conditions.
Mixed mood swings symptoms are common in patients suffering from bipolar disorder. They may hinder the detection of onset mania and hypomania episodes which makes it difficult to medication. The similarity in symptoms and signs poses a big challenge to healthcare professionals who fail to identify the unique variations (Fountoulakis et al., 2022). As a result, few patients receive the medical attention needed deteriorating their state of health. Severe side effects are realized after administering of effective medication and treatment plans.
Why Most People Get a Late-Onset Diagnosis
Bipolar disorder is characterized by varying episodes of mania and depression contributing to the late-onset diagnosis. Most patients fail to detect the signs and symptoms of the disorder at an early stage in life. Two predisposing conditions can be associated with the late-onset disorder. The first occurs in individuals in their adolescence stage and the second in older adults. Reports indicate that 90% of bipolar disorders have been diagnosed in patients under the of 50 (Nestsiarovich et al., 2022). The difficulty in distinguishing the disorder at its onset from other similar conditions contributes to the general effect.
In summary, bipolar disorder is a mental illness which has signs and symptoms similar to depression and mania. This makes it difficult for healthcare professionals to make medication distinctions leading to medical errors. Additionally, the varying episodes of mood swings and depression lead to the late-onset diagnosis. Patients suffering from bipolar disorder fail to show signs and symptoms at the early stages of development. In most cases, there exists a late-onset diagnosis due to difficulties in differentiating the disorder with other conditions. Therefore, a close medical examination should be made to patients who show signs and symptoms to determine the exact illness for effective medication.
References
Fountoulakis, K. N., Tohen, M., & Zarate, C. A. (2022). Lithium treatment of bipolar disorder in adults: A systematic review of randomized trials and meta-analyses. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 54, 100–115. Web.
Grison, S., & Gazzaniga, M. (2022). Psychology in your life. wwnorton.com. Web.
Knuesel, T., & Mohajeri, M. H. (2021). The role of the gut microbiota in the development and progression of major depressive and bipolar disorder. Nutrients, 14(1), 37. Web.
Nestsiarovich, A., Gaudiot, C. E. S., Baldessarini, R. J., Vieta, E., Zhu, Y., & Tohen, M. (2022). Preventing new episodes of bipolar disorder in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 54, 75–89. Web.
Tondo, L., Miola, A., Pinna, M., Contu, M., & Baldessarini, R. J. (2022). Differences between bipolar disorder types 1 and 2 support the DSM two-syndrome concept. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 10(1). Web.