Yes. A person can have a mix of manic, hypomanic, or depressive symptoms that do not fit a specific bipolar diagnosis. For example, hypomanic episodes may last just 2-3 days and may not be followed by major depressive episodes. Or a person may experience cyclothymia (lesser symptoms of hypomania and depression) for less than 2 years.
If the symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, a diagnosis of a specified or unspecified bipolar disorder may be given.
Following are examples of symptoms that may fall into the diagnostic category of “other specified bipolar and related disorder” and “unspecified bipolar and related disorder.”
Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorder
Examples of patient symptoms that would fall under the diagnostic category of “other specified bipolar and related disorder” include:
Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder
Examples of conditions that would fall under the diagnostic category of “other specified bipolar and related disorder” include:
Mental Health Library Sources:
Information included in all topics of the Mental Health Library comes from the Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria From DSM-5 and Kaplan & Sadock’s Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry. Complete diagnostic and treatment information may be found within these publications.
Disclaimer:
Information within the Mental Health Library is not intended to be used for self-diagnosis purposes. Rather, it is provided as a public educational service to make people aware of mental health conditions. Please consult a qualified mental health professional for a diagnosis of any suspected mental health illness.
Check Other Mental Health Conditions