Wednesday, August 06, 2008 ozme asks

Q: how common is it for adults to be misdiagnosed with bipolar instead of add.

my current dr is the only one who even thought i had add.i showed him a book about living with add.100 examples of which i had 94.i asked to to show me with such certainty of the presence of bipolar he could not.add seems to be circumstance driven were manic episodes are random.of the hundreds of times my actions were to say the least wrong every time there was confrintation.i am 53 yrs old and when i was 5 my mother had me on a leash because i would dart in the street.this is frustrating because when i show a list of about 50 patterns of past behavior they photo copy than put in file without reading it simply put how do correctly test if one or both are present

Answers (3)

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Vicki M

8/13/08 3:41pm

Hi Ozme,

It can be very frustrating when the wrong diagnosis is made, and unfortunately for some, the education and treatment for conditions like ADD, ADHD and Bipolar are still being written because doctors and scientists are still learning about the human body and brain.

There is another question on the ADHD site that is similar to yours. In this question, LeighAnn has been diagnosed with both Bipolar and ADHD. Dr. Diana Walcutt answered that question here with a link or two and some good information. Eileen Bailey also wrote a sharepost about ADHD and Bipolar, the similarities and contradictions. You can read that article here. While ADHD is not ADD, some of the characteristics of a misdiagnosis can be similar. There is also an article here written by resident expert The Clinician, that discusses the possibility of a misdiagnosis of bipolar when it should be ADD.

Remember, online sites are wonderful resources for getting the information you need to ask all the right questions, they can not take the place of your doctor's solid medical advice. If you have a concern, you should talk it out with your doctor.

Much of this might seem like random information, but it also might get you thinking and help you with questions to ask your doctor. I hope this helps! Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M

Cathi Z

8/10/08 8:48pm

Sadly, it is extremely common. Psychiatrists were taught in school that ADHD is for children and stimulants are dangerous and addictive. Many (it seems like most) have not learned anything new about it since then. It is likely that the next book of diagnoses (DSM-V) will name an entitity called unipolar mania (in other words impulsive and hyper most of the time) without the need to have had a depressive episode to be called a mood disorder.

That sounds more like ADD to me, but most don't even think of it. It's scary.

To give the psychiatrists credit, true Bipolar Disorder is a very serious problem and can be worsened by treatment with stimulants; so if Bipolar is suspected, a mood stabilizer must be started first before treating the ADHD.

I'm glad you finally got a good diagnosis.

-Cathi

Timid Raven

11/11/08 7:13am

Hi,

I was just diagnosed with both ADHD and Bipolar by one Dr. Another Dr. said he thinks it's ADHD, PTSD and Depression. They all sound so much alike except just minor details, it is confusing. Especially when they try so many different medications. UGH!!!

Blessed Be!!

~Timid Raven

Q: how common is it for adults to be misdiagnosed with bipolar instead of add.

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