There is no standard test for manic depression used to diagnose bipolar disorder. The diagnosis is typically made based on a careful assessment of a person's symptoms. However, even without a specific test for manic depression, a qualified healthcare professional can accurately diagnose this disorder by also considering the course of the illness and a person's family history.
Test for Manic Depression: Symptoms and History of Illness
- Symptoms
- The course of the illness
- Family history (when available).
A depressive episode is diagnosed if five or more of
symptoms of depression last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of two weeks or longer.
A manic episode of
bipolar disorder is diagnosed if an elevated mood occurs, along with three or more additional symptoms of mania most of the day, nearly every day, for one week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms also must be present.
Test for Manic Depression: A Patient's Perspective
Descriptions offered by people with bipolar disorder give valuable insights into the various mood states associated with the illness:
Depression: "I doubt completely my ability to do anything well.
It seems as though my mind has slowed down and burned out to the point of being virtually useless…. [I am] haunt[ed] … with the total, the desperate hopelessness of it all…. Others say, 'It's only temporary, it will pass, you will get over it,' but of course they haven't any idea of how I feel, although they are certain they do. If I can't feel, move, think, or care, then what on earth is the point?"
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