to ask all patients with depression if they have had symptoms
of mania or hypomania (e.g., changes in energy,
racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, or a mood
that was distinctly better than usual for a brief period in
the past). Historical clues that raise suspicion for bipolar
disorders are listed in Table 3.
18 Mixed states are of
significant concern because heightened energy increases
the risk of suicide.19
Evaluation
Screening for depressive disorders is recommended for
patients 12 to 18 years of age in practice settings with
systems in place to support accurate diagnosis, psychotherapy,
and follow-up using the age-appropriate
Patient Health Questionnaire (available at http://www.
depression-primarycare.org/clinicians/) or the Beck
Depression Inventory–Primary Care Version.20 With
a high negative predictive value, office-based tools,
including the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale, the
My Mood Monitor (M-3) checklist, and the Mood
Disorder Questionnaire (available at http://www.
dbsalliance.org/pdfs/MDQ.pdf), can be useful in ruling
out bipolar disorders, but they are not sufficient to confirm
a diagnosis.21-23
The medical evaluation of patients with a suspected
bipolar disorder is based on ruling out other causes
of the patient’s symptoms (Table 4 24) and can assist in
selecting a medication. Secondary mania should be
more strongly considered in patients presenting with
a first episode in prepuberty or after 40 years of age.25
Appropriate evaluation for diabetes and lipid abnormalities,
which are associated with the disorders and their
treatment, is also needed. Table 5 includes tests that can
be considered in the evaluation of patients with a suspected
bipolar disorder