Bipolar disorder deserves a careful diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder is a condition of mood that cycles over time. It usually involves depressive lows, where energy, interest, and hope drop away for weeks, and also periods of elevated, irritable, or unusually high energy, called hypomania or mania. The two sides can look so different that people only seek help during the lows, which is one reason bipolar disorder is so often missed.

When the high periods go unrecognized, bipolar disorder gets treated as ordinary depression. That matters, because the treatments aren't the same, and an antidepressant used alone can sometimes make the cycling worse. This is why an unhurried, careful diagnosis is the most important first step. We take the time to understand your whole mood history, not just how you feel on the day we meet.

Bipolar disorder is a long-term condition, not something that resolves after a single course of treatment. The honest framing is management, not cure. With steady care, attention to sleep and routine, and the right medications monitored over time, many people reach a point where their mood is far more stable and predictable than it once was.

Signs we look for

• Periods of unusually high energy, racing thoughts, or needing very little sleep yet feeling fine
• Stretches of elevated, expansive, or notably irritable mood that others notice
• Impulsive decisions during the high periods, such as spending, risk-taking, or sudden plans
• Depressive lows with loss of interest, fatigue, and changes in sleep or appetite
• Mood that shifts in distinct episodes lasting days or weeks, rather than hour to hour
• A history of depression that hasn't responded as expected to antidepressants
• Family members with bipolar disorder, depression, or other mood conditions

How we evaluate

A real bipolar evaluation isn't a quick checklist, and it isn't based on a single low moment. We take a careful, unhurried history of your moods over time, paying close attention to past periods of elevated or high energy that are easy to overlook or to remember as simply feeling good. We ask about sleep, family history, substance use, and medical and thyroid contributors, and we look at how previous treatments have affected you. Getting this distinction right matters, because bipolar disorder and depression are treated differently, and an accurate diagnosis is what lets us aim the plan at the right target.

How we treat

Treatment for bipolar disorder is individualized and built for the long term. The psychiatric side often centers on mood-stabilizing medications and, depending on the picture, other medications chosen and adjusted carefully, with ongoing monitoring that may include lab work for certain medications. We pair this with psychoeducation so you understand your own patterns, and with steady attention to sleep and daily routine, which have a real effect on mood stability. Therapy is an important part of care for many people, and while Sigma provides the psychiatric evaluation and medication management rather than therapy itself, we coordinate with your therapist or help connect you with one. We're honest about timelines and tradeoffs, and we follow through, adjusting as we learn what keeps you steady.