Bipolar disorder is a common, serious, recurrent illness marked by episodes of depression
and mood elevation, and entails serious psychosocial consequences (eg, suicide,
incarceration, bankruptcy, divorce, employment termination, occupational disability,
and diminished social function).1
It is one of the leading causes of worldwide disability,
especially in those aged 15–44 years.2
Accurate diagnosis of individuals with bipolar disorder can be challenging because
people with bipolar disorder commonly present in the more pervasive depressive
phase and may not recall previous manic or mixed episodes, or may not be able to
distinguish them from prior major depressive episodes, raising the risk that they
may receive an inaccurate diagnosis of unipolar major depressive disorder.3
For
example, in one study, approximately 70% of patients with bipolar disorder were
misdiagnosed,4
with the most common incorrect initial diagnosis being unipolar