In Bipolar Disorder for Dummies, we discourage anyone from attempting to self-diagnose or diagnose others suspected of having bipolar disorder and encourage you to obtain a diagnosis from a qualified doctor – preferably a psychiatrist who has some experience in diagnosing bipolar disorder and ruling out other conditions that could have similar symptoms.

The bipolar diagnosis is on the rise. You can read it in the media and readily observe it by talking to people you know. More people than ever (and significantly more children than ever) carry the label. According to results of a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry (September, 2007) entitled, “National Trends in the Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Youth,” we’ve seen a 40-fold increase in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents between 1994 and 2003. During this same period, the bipolar diagnosis in the adult population nearly doubled.

A study published in this month's General Archives of Psychiatry entitled "Advancing Paternal Age and Bipolar Disorder," reports that children of older fathers have a higher risk of developing bipolar disorder than children of younger fathers. This is a large study, and the data are quite strong. Fathers age 40 and older show some increased risk of having a child with bipolar disorder, but the risk really grows with fathers ages 55 and older.

Bipolar disorder can be and often is misdiagnosed as unipolar depression (see "52 Percent of Bipolar Patients Receiving Antidepressants as First-Line Treatment?"). This could be a very dangerous misdiagnosis, because many antidepressants used to treat depression can trigger (or "unmask") mania, especially in people who really have Bipolar I. In other words, you could go into your doctor's office feeling depressed and as a result of the anti-depressants experience a manic episode.

According to the results of a recent survey conducted by Decision Resources ("one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues"), 52.3 percent of newly diagnosed bipolar disorder patients are prescribed antidepressant drugs first line. (See the press release “Astonishing 52 Percent of Newly Diagnosed Bipolar Disorder Patients Receive Antidepressant Drugs in First-Line Treatment.”)