Misdiagnosis: Is It Bipolar Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Trying to understand what goes wrong

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

More often than people wish to think, folks go to mental health specialists and receive a misdiagnosis. This isn’t entirely the professional's fault as they are bound to the diagnosis they choose by the symptoms and traits described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which is currently in its fifth edition.

This article will focus on how two mental health disorders, bipolar disorder, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and how the latter is often misdiagnosed as the former.

Bipolar Disorder

Everyone experiences high and low times in their lives, but in bipolar disorder, these peaks and valleys are much more severe and can be debilitating. Bipolar disorder brings major changes in mood, thinking, energy, and behavior patterns from the highs of mania to the extreme lows of depression. These cycles may last for days or months and the mood changes are so intense that they interfere with the person’s life, damage relationships, and disrupt their ability to function.

The causes of bipolar disorder are not well-understood, but it is believed to be inherited genetically. The symptoms of bipolar disorder…