Manic Symptoms Resemble ADD ADHD Distinguishing Bipolar Disorder Adult & Kids

By ADDitude Editors, Janice Rodden,
Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D.

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-vs-bipolar-a-guide-to-distinguishing-look-alike-conditions/



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Bipolar disorder is characterized by high, euphoric, or irritable periods called mania and low periods of depression.

The mania stage is sometimes mistaken for hyperactivity and the low states manifest themselves as inattention and lack of motivation, which are common in individuals with ADHD.



Once considered an adult condition, bipolar disorder does begin in childhood but its symptoms are difficult to diagnose because they so closely mimic other childhood-onset conditions like ADHD and because they are often dismissed as signs of puberty.

“What Is Causing My Racing Thoughts?” Bipolar Disorder and ADHD

Approximately 60 to 70 percent of people with bipolar disorder also have ADHD. What’s more, 20 percent of people with ADHD have bipolar disorder. This comorbidity rate is significant enough to justify dual evaluations for virtually every patient; a physician should virtually never assess for one condition in isolation, as ADHD and OCD rarely walk alone. Why is bipolar disorder missed or misdiagnosed with such regularity?

1. Several depressive and manic symptoms of bipolar disorder and ADHD symptoms resemble each other in both children and adults.
2. ADHD is far more common than bipolar disorder. (Up to 11 percent of all children in the U.S. have symptoms of ADHD; roughly 60 percent of those children grow up to become adults with ADHD. Bipolar disorder, in contrast, impacts just 2.6 percent of the population.) As such, physicians are more likely to recognize and screen for ADHD.
3. Once considered an adult condition, bipolar disorder does begin in childhood but its symptoms are difficult to diagnose because they so closely mimic other childhood-onset conditions like ADHD and because they are often dismissed as signs of puberty.
   
   
   
   Bipolar disorder is characterized by high, euphoric, or irritable periods called mania and low periods of depression. The mania stage is sometimes mistaken for hyperactivity and the low states manifest themselves as inattention and lack of motivation, which are common in individuals with ADHD.
   
   
   
   

   How Manic Symptoms Resemble ADHD

   One hallmark byproduct of ADHD is hyper-focus, or the ability to focus intently on something of great personal interest for an extended period of time, at times mentally drowning out the world around.
   
   This may happen on deadline pressure or when wrapped up in a compelling project, book, or video game. Hyper-focus may cause a decreased need for sleep and may look like “increased goal-directed activity,” however this is short-lived in people with ADHD, who often feel exhausted once the hyper-focus fades.
   
   A manic episode, on the other hand, is independent of external circumstances. People with bipolar disorder often want to go to sleep or relax, but describe feeling as if there is electricity going through their bodies that they cannot stop or dampen, no matter how desperate they are for sleep. This inability to settle the mind and body can go on for a week. Going without sleep for long periods of time can trigger psychotic episodes or hallucinations.
   
   
   
   By ADDitude Editors, Janice Rodden,
   Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D.