Warning Signs and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder People with bipolar disorder often have cycles of elevated and depressed mood that fit the description of "manic depression." When a person's illness follows this classic pattern, diagnosing bipolar disorder is relatively easy.

But bipolar disorder can be sneaky. Symptoms can defy the expected manic-depressive sequence. Infrequent episodes of mild mania or hypomania can go undetected. Depression can overshadow other aspects of the illness. And substance abuse can cloud the picture.

Taken together, these factors make bipolar disorder surprisingly difficult to diagnose. A few facts about bipolar disorder you may not know:

• As many as 20% of people complaining of depression to their doctor actually have bipolar disorder.
• About half of people with bipolar disorder have seen three professionals before being diagnosed correctly.
• It takes an average of 10 years for people to enter treatment for bipolar disorder after symptoms begin. This is caused in part by delays in diagnosis.

Take WebMD's Bipolar Disorder Health Check

Take WebMD's Bipolar Disorder Health Check