Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Illness

Bipolar disorder is often difficult to diagnose. Frequently, when the illness first appears, both manic and depressive phases might be somewhat mild. Teens might feel irritated, anxious, or aggressive without knowing why. A real clue is if you start behaving hyperactively or as if you have too much energy.

Because these symptoms change and are not very obvious early on, both you and those around you— even your doctor—might blame something else for your moods and difficult behavior. According to statistics, two out of three times doctors initially fail to recognize the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Also, when manic-depressives are in a milder manic phase—full of happiness, energy, and confidence— they and the people around them never stop to think that anything is wrong.