Diagnosing Bipolar I Disorder

DSM Criteria

There is one qualifying event in your life a doctor looks for in diagnosing bipolar I disorder as per the criteria found in the DSM IV.

You will be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder if you’ve had or are having a full manic episode (see Criteria for a Manic Episode linked below). This probably seems far too simple given the severity and the complexity of this disorder, but one manic episode is it. You don’t even have to have a depressive episode to be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder though for the vast majority of you who experience a manic episode you will at some point have a depressive episode.

As noted above, these criteria have been established through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association. It is the primary system used to classify and diagnose all mental disorders.

As per this formal classification system, bipolar disorder is a clinical disorder within the category of mood disorders. The manual recognizes four types of bipolar disorder. Each specific type of bipolar disorder is distinguished by the others through the nature of episodes experienced.

• Bipolar Disorders
  • Criteria for Bipolar I Disorder
  • Criteria for Bipolar II Disorder
  • Criteria for Cyclothymic Disorder
  • Criteria for Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
• Episodes
  • Criteria for a Manic Episode
  • Criteria for a Hypomanic Episode
  • Criteria for a Depressive Episode
  • Criteria for a Mixed Episode

_Source:

_{American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR).}