(15 Nov 06) Bipolar Disorder and ADHD: Diagnosis and Treatment Issues
by David Gottlieb, Ph.D. and Thomas Shoaf, MD

Recently, we were visiting with some friends who have an adult son who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As our friend described his son's behaviors as he was becoming bipolar, he commented that he often acted schizophrenic. Then, he asked for some clarification on these two mental health diagnoses.

I am an educator, not a medical professional. Knowing that, here is my very simplistic explanation of the main difference between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Bipolar disorder is characterized by severe mood swings between manic and depressed behaviors. Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and incoherence in communication. However ...

At times, it is difficult to tell one mental disorder from another. For instance, some people with symptoms of schizophrenia exhibit prolonged extremes of elated or depressed mood, and it is important to determine whether such a patient has schizophrenia or actually has a manic-depressive (or bipolar) disorder or major depressive disorder. Persons whose symptoms cannot be clearly categorized are sometimes diagnosed as having a “schizoaffective disorder.”

Bipolar Disorder: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

Schizophrenia: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/schizoph.cfm

Both of these mental health conditions may develop during adolescence or young adulthood and should only be diagnosed and treated by medical professionals. A combination of medication and psychosocial therapy help many people with these mental illnesses lead productive lives.