Bipolar Disorders

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Abstract

Bipolar disorder is currently undergoing a diagnostic epidemic. This is because proponents of a broad bipolar spectrum, who can be called “bipolar imperialists” see latent bipolarity in a wide spectrum of other diagnoses. Thus bipolar disorders are being overdiagnosed in patients who are depressed, in patients who have affective instability related to personality disorders, and in children who mainly present with irritability. None of these patients demonstrate manic episodes or the hypomanic episodes required to diagnose bipolar-II. There are no biological markers to support this expansion of the original concept of bipolarity. The result has been a vast over-prescription of “mood stabilizers” and antipsychotics, both in adults and in children.