“A new international study discovers it takes almost six years following symptoms of bipolar disorder and determination of diagnosis and initiation of treatment.”
“Many experts believe crucial opportunities to manage bipolar disorder early are being lost because of the delay.”
“They discovered many patients experience distressing and disruptive symptoms for several years until receiving proper treatment for bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressive illness.”
“According to lead researcher Dr. Matthew Large, a psychiatrist at Prince of Wales Hospital, the delay is often longer for young people because moodiness is sometimes misperceived by parents.”
“This is common as providers may attribute symptoms as the ups and downs of the teenage years rather than the emergence of bipolar disorder. The misdiagnosis is disturbing as bipolar can be effectively treated with mood stabilizing medication.”
“This is a lost opportunity because the severity and frequency of episodes can be reduced with medication and other interventions,” Large said. “While some patients, particularly those who present with psychosis, probably do receive timely treatment, the diagnosis of the early phase of bipolar disorder can be difficult.”
“This is because mental health clinicians are sometimes unable to distinguish the depressed phase of bipolar disorder from other types of depression.”
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