Thaindian News

Washington, March 13 (IANS) Bipolar disorder can often be confused with depression, unless there is a second opinon.

Researchers have found that as many as 69 percent of initial diagnoses of people with bipolar disorder were incorrect, underlining the importance of seeking a second opinion.

For instance, a patient Eric Wilson struggled for decades with depression that often left him despondent, but never thought about getting a second opinion.

After decades of broken relationships, multiple flirtations with suicide, and manic highs and lows, he received his final and accurate diagnosis of bipolar II mixed.

A patient of bipolar disorder alternates between two extremes, an overly joyful or hyper-excited (manic episode) and extremely sad, hopeless state (depressive episode).

This form of bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose because the patients often are highly functioning and extremely productive, according to a Wake Forest University statement.

With bipolar, the wrong medication can have devastating effects, plunging a patient into a deeper depression or into rapid cycles of highs and lows.

Wilson credits the loving persistence of his wife and the wonder of his daughter for pushing him beyond that first incorrect diagnosis of his disease.

“It was a very long process that required a lot of patience and a lot of flexibility, but it’s paid off beautifully,” concludes Wilson.