Clinical features of differential diagnosis between unipolar and bipolar depression in a drug-free sample of young adults

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is one of the most disabling diseases in the world (Angst et  al., 2011; WHO, 2008). Almost half of all patients with BD type I and approximately three- quarters of those with BD type II will first have an episode of depression (Goodwin and Jamis, 2010; Tondo et al., 2014). The diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder (BD) are based on the presence of a man ic or hypomanic episode to distinguish from unipolar depression (Perlis et al., 2006). A delay in diagnosis of BD, or even errors in diagnosis can cause a delay in treatment, and therefore, prolong suffering (Bowden, 2005).

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - September 10, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Andr é Machado Patella, Taiane Cardoso Tags: Research paper Source Type: research