Several mental health and medical conditions can look like bipolar disorder. This is why accurate diagnosis is critical—and often challenging. Symptoms like mood swings, irritability, or energy shifts aren’t unique to bipolar disorder.

Conditions That Resemble Bipolar Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a common mimic. It causes intense mood swings, impulsivity, and relationship instability—similar to bipolar II. But BPD mood shifts happen over hours or days, not weeks like in bipolar disorder.

ADHD can also be confused with bipolar, especially in teens. Both involve restlessness, distractibility, and risk-taking. However, ADHD is chronic and steady, while bipolar includes distinct episodes of mania or depression.

Major Depressive Disorder with mixed features may include brief hypomanic-like symptoms during a depressive episode. Without a clear manic episode, it can be misread as bipolar.

Thyroid disorders, particularly hyperthyroidism, can cause anxiety, insomnia, and agitation—mimicking mania. Substance use (like cocaine or steroids) or withdrawal from alcohol can also trigger bipolar-like symptoms.

Other mimics include schizoaffective disorder, cyclothymia, and even epilepsy (especially temporal lobe seizures). Certain medications, like antidepressants without mood stabilizers, may induce manic-like states.

Because of these overlaps, doctors use detailed histories, mood charts, and sometimes lab tests to rule out other causes. A true bipolar diagnosis requires clear evidence of manic or hypomanic episodes lasting a specific duration.

If you or someone you know shows mood symptoms, seek a thorough evaluation from a psychiatrist. Misdiagnosis can lead to ineffective or even harmful treatment. Getting the right label ensures the right care—and better outcomes.