Can anyone please tell me what the diagnosis procedure for Bipolar Disorder is? My daughter's therapist, after their first one hour meeting, said she has a mild form of it (my daughter is a minor). She went through a behavioral checklist to arrive at this. I understand that there are no biological indicators of bipolarity, but isn't it up to a psychiatrist to provide a true diagnosis?

I don't want to minimize my daughter's feelings, but the more I read about the diagnosis on websites, the less reassured I ambout her diagnosis, because they say it can be made by any mental health professional. I welcome anyone else's thoughts and experiences they may be willing to share.

The other thing that irritates me is that the T has not addressed my questions adequately; particularly, as a minor in my care, any diagnosis & its implications need to be discussed with me. She has not done so, and says my daughter needs to give permission to share her hour with me! Yes, my daughter is allowed to have her privacy, of course, but a diagnosis of a minor child is another thing entirely!