Bipolar phenotypes and phenocopies and their variation in the life cycle

Abstract

Introduction: Rare studies address bipolar disorder (BD) from a developmental psychopathology perspective and, therefore, little is known about how the symptoms of this disease present themselves over time, at different stages of human development. Methodology: In this narrative review we will describe the unusual presentations of TB (“clinical disguises” or phenocopies) throughout the life cycle and their implications for differential diagnosis and prognosis. Results: The main psychiatric disguises linked to TB throughout the life cycle are described. The semiological difficulties and, consequently, the diagnostic errors associated with TB, which in turn reflect on the proper functioning and increased costs of public health. Conclusions: Other mental disorders and neurological diseases may be falsely recognized as BD, as the diagnosis is still supported by clinical data. Translational research may in the future enable the identification of biomarkers and improve differential diagnosis. It is also important to consider the clinical stages of the disease in well-characterized samples of young people at high risk during diagnosis.