Bipolar Diagnosis May Take Up to 6 Years

August 1, 2016
Bipolar Diagnosis May Take Up to 6 Years
By Robert Preidt

Researcher calls delay a 'lost opportunity' for treatment.

People with bipolar disorder may face a long wait from when their symptoms start to the time they get a proper diagnosis.

In fact, a new study reports the average delay is six years.

That lost time can result in greater frequency and severity of episodes of the psychiatric condition, the researchers said.

"While some patients, particularly those who present with psychosis, probably do receive timely treatment, the diagnosis of the early phase of bipolar disorder can be difficult," study leader Matthew Large, a professor psychiatry at the University of New South Wales, Australia, said in a school news release.

"This is because mental health clinicians are sometimes unable to distinguish the depressed phase of bipolar disorder from other types of depression," he added.

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