At the risk of betraying my own ignorance of this literature despite being a clinician, I think the increase in the diagnosis of the bipolar disorders (as there are more than one) relates back to concerns over the potential overdiagnosis of ADHD which has been postulated for years. If we define ADHD primarily in terms of energy level and distraction (not really consistent with DSM criteria, by the way), then kids with ADHD grow up with these same behavior patterns into adulthood. And ADHD isn't typically diagnosed in adults. Thus, they're shoved into the bipolar category. Keep in mind as well that the current insurance climate also encourages overdiagnosis of certain conditions in order to meet criteria for insurance copayment of treatment bills. So a client who is distractible and impulsive and energetic and having problems as a result thus gets diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As usual, the problem is systemic. David W.
At 12:30 PM 9/5/2007, you wrote: >http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/health/04psych.html?ref=health > >I apologize for not sending out my class assignment where I have students >scrutinize case studies for examples of potential errors in diagnoses. >I'm not a clinician and, though this is a fairly casual and interesting >activity, I became concerned that I might be criticized by clinicians and >so have backed off my original decision to share it. Just found myself >becoming too self-conscious about the activity, which is probably a good >thing as I'm tuning it up. > >However, this article in the NYT's is an excellent example of how >diagnosing has to have error factors as this type of incredible increase >in bi-polar illness within the last few decades simply isn't credible, is >it? I began to note a significant increase in the number of my students >coming to me saying that they had been diagnosed with this illness when >the label was changed from manic-depressive to bi-polar. The folks >writing the DSM had the best of intentions but I suspect that by changing >the label, the diagnosis now "sounded" less serious. An unintentional >by-product could be that therapists have become more willing and more >comfortable to give this diagnosis to their clients. This is simply an >opinion from a non-clinician but have found a number of my clinician >friends agree with this possibility. > >Whatever, when discussing the DSM, I feel it's articles like the one >pasted above is a classic in demonstrating how the diagnostic process is >not a hard and sound process but one to be used with great care and viewed >with a healthy dose of skepticism. > >Joan >Joan Warmbold Boggs >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >--- David T. Wasieleski, Ph.D. Professor Department of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 229-333-5620 http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski "The only thing that ever made sense in my life is the sound of my little girl laughing through the window on a summer night... Just the sound of my little girl laughing makes me happy just to be alive..." --Everclear "Song from an American Movie" ---
