- Be aware that these investigators found that bipolar patients with manic symptoms tend not to report them or to see a physician because the patients enjoy the manic symptoms.
- Recognize that in patients with bipolar disorder, the first depressive symptoms typically appear in a patient's 20s, while the first manic symptoms might not arise until a patient is nearly 30.
- These presentations were made at an industry-sponsored symposium.
NEW ORLEANS, November 21 -- As many as 30% of patients with bipolar disorder go untreated for 10 years or more, largely because the condition is so tricky to diagnose, said investigators here.
The chief difficulty with diagnosis is that while the first depressive symptoms typically appear in a patient's 20s, the first manic symptoms might not arise until a patient is nearly 30, said Jeffrey H. Nard, M.D., of the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.
In addition, patients with manic symptoms tend not to report them or to see a physician because manic symptoms are pleasurable, Dr. Nard said at a symposium held in conjunction with the U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress here. The symposium was supported by Pfizer.
While mental health care professionals are aware of the usual hallmarks of a manic episode-abnormally elevated mood, inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep-some may not know how to recognize a manic patient sitting in front of them during an office visit, Dr. Nard said.
