Wow I just came across this article:
ADHD vs Bipolar: A Guide to Distinguishing Look-Alike Conditions
Quote:
|
70 percent of bipolar patients are misdiagnosed at least once. On average, patients with bipolar disorder wait a whopping 17 years before receiving an accurate diagnosis.
|
Quote:
Why is bipolar disorder missed or misdiagnosed with such regularity?
1. Several depressive and manic symptoms of bipolar disorder and ADHD symptoms resemble each other in both children and adults.
2. ADHD is far more common than bipolar disorder. (Up to 11 percent of all children in the U.S. have symptoms of ADHD; roughly 60 percent of those children grow up to become adults with ADHD. Bipolar disorder, in contrast, impacts just 2.6 percent of the population.) As such, physicians are more likely to recognize and screen for ADHD
|
I used to think they had a good grasp on diagnosing people, but now I'd
never rely upon one doc unless perhaps they're extremely notable, in which case I probably couldn't afford them anyways.
Getting a 2nd 3rd & perhaps even 4th opinion seems wise. And even then it's apparent that modern psychology has a long ways before getting a solid grasp and understanding of the complex human psyche.
That doesn't mean they don't help people. Overall they help people, but not every one. It just depends.