Introduction to bipolar disorder and comorbid conditions

Abstract

Bipolar disorder presents with symptoms that overlap with other, often comorbid, psychiatric disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, substance use disorder, and unipolar depression, and also often co-occurs with medical disorders. Appropriate screening for manic and hypomanic symptoms may lessen the frequency of misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder as unipolar depression, which has serious treatment implications. Further, following the appropriate guidelines for monitoring the physical health of patients with bipolar disorder, especially those treated with mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotic agents, is important to achieve optimal outcomes.