When screening for depression inquire also about a history of manic episodes, and then plan subsequent screening and treatment planning accordingly.
Some questions to consider
- Have you ever found yourself experiencing natural euphoria for more than a few days?
- During that period did you find yourself feeling especially confident, like you were on top of the world?
- Do you or have you ever felt like you had “special powers”?
- Do you or ever you ever considered yourself special in any way?
- Has there ever been a period of time when you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn’t really miss it?
- Has there ever been a period of time when you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky?
- Has there ever been a period of time where spending money got you or your family in trouble?
- Have any of your blood relatives (children, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles) had manic depressive illness or bipolar disorder?
Patients with suspected bipolar disorder should be referred to psychiatry for evaluation and should not be prescribed SSRIs.
