Differentiating ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

Differentiating ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

You might think ADHD and bipolar disorder are entirely different diagnoses at first glance. One’s a learning disorder, the other’s a mood disorder. However, both can manifest a wide range of symptoms, and some these symptoms overlap. Bipolar disorder has two faces; mania and depression. Mania is associated with impulsivity, restlessness, hyperactivity, and feeling overly happy. All of these symptoms are also common with ADHD.

Some things that distinguish the two disorders:

  • Frequency of symptoms. ADHD symptoms are always present, while bipolar symptoms are cyclical. The average person with bipolar disorder is asymptomatic about half of the time. So someone with ADHD will be hyperactive and restless almost every day, while someone who is bipolar will exhibit those symptoms only sometimes.
  • Nature of mood swings: Bipolar mood swings don’t occur over the span of a day- they occur over a span of weeks or months and these gradual shifts from mania to depression can’t be attributed to any specific occurrence. On the other hand, ADHD emotional variability and volatility is directly attributable to life events. Someone with ADHD may suddenly shift to unregulated joy or sadness and these strong emotions can be traced back to a certain trigger.
  • Onset: ADHD is commonly thought of as a disease of childhood, while bipolar disorder is thought of as an adult disease. For the most part, this is true. ADHD symptoms usually set in by age 7; sometimes they cease before adolescence ends, and sometimes, ADHD persists into adulthood. Also, some adults miss an early diagnosis don’t realize they have ADHD until adulthood. The onset of bipolar hits most people around the age of 25, but some people begin manifesting symptoms in adolescence.

 bipolar-v-adhdAdditionally, it’s possible to have both conditions. Recent estimates approximate that about 15% of people with bipolar disorder also have ADHD. Conversely, about 6% of people with ADHD also have bipolar disorder, compared to the general population prevalence of about 2.5%.

Mental health diagnoses can be very complex and sometimes confusing. The key to an accurate diagnosis is presenting a mental health professional with a detailed, complete description of symptoms that note when symptoms set in and how long they endure.

If you or a loved one is living with ADHD or bipolar disorder, give us a call directly at 1-844-283-3649 or check out our research studies to see if you qualify.

Sources: Psych Congress & BP Hope