Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;28(1):251-260.
doi: 10.1002/cpp.2504. Epub 2020 Aug 28.

Differentiating the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorders in adults: Utilizing a trauma-informed assessment approach

Chelsea M Cogan  1 , Caitlin B Paquet  1 , Jenny Y Lee  1 , Katherine E Miller  2 , Matthew D Crowley  1 , Joanne L Davis  1
Affiliations

Differentiating the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorders in adults: Utilizing a trauma-informed assessment approach

Chelsea M Cogan et al. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

In adult populations, bipolar disorders (BDs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have overlapping symptoms, potentially leading to misdiagnosis. This misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose both co-occurring disorders can result in individuals not receiving the proper treatment to address their symptoms. This article highlights how trauma-informed psychological assessment can assist in differential diagnosis and improve the timely delivery of appropriate treatments. The overlapping symptoms of PTSD and BD are discussed to assist in differential diagnosis, and we suggest guidelines for conducting trauma-informed, evidence-based assessments to help clarify these diagnoses.

Keywords: assessment; bipolar disorder; differential diagnosis; posttraumatic stress disorder; trauma-informed assessment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Akiskal, H. S. (2002). Classification, diagnosis and boundaries of bipolar disorders: A review. Bipolar Disorder, 5, 1-96.
    1. Alloy, L. B., Abramson, L. Y., Urosevic, S., Walshaw, P. D., Nusslock, R., & Neeren, A. M. (2005). The psychosocial context of bipolar disorder: Environmental, cognitive, and developmental risk factors. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 1043-1075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.06.006
    1. Altman E. G., Hedeker D., Peterson J. L., Davis J. M. (1997). The Altman self-rating mania scale. Biological Psychiatry, 42, (10), 948-955. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(96)00548-3.
    1. Altman, E., Hedeker, D., Peterson, J. L., & Davis, J. M. (2001). A comparative evaluation of three self-rating scales for acute mania. Biological Psychiatry, 50, 468-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(01)01065-4
    1. American Psychiatric Association. (2002). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder (revision). American Psychiatric Publishing.

MeSH terms