Misdiagnosis: What If You Suspect You Don’t Have Bipolar Disorder?

Many people wonder whether their bipolar diagnosis is correct. Maybe your symptoms don't match what you've learned. Maybe other circumstances — like trauma or substance use — better explain what you've experienced. Or maybe you've simply never felt confident that bipolar disorder is the accurate diagnosis. Where do you go from here?

In this episode, Gabe Howard, who lives with bipolar, and board certified psychiatrist Dr. Nicole Washington explain why diagnosing bipolar disorder is rarely straightforward, what psychiatrists actually look for during a psychiatric evaluation, and why getting a second opinion is often a thoughtful step and not an act of denial.

You'll also learn why diagnosis isn't based on a single appointment, why honest conversations about symptoms and substance use matter, and how confirmation bias and other systemic issues can influence mental health care. Dr. Nicole shares what a real psychiatric reevaluation looks like, how long it typically takes, and why the goal isn't to prove someone right or wrong, but rather to find the most accurate diagnosis possible.

Listener takeaways:

understand why diagnosis is an investigation that takes weeks or months — not one appointment

why questioning a diagnosis isn't the same as denying one

how to advocate for yourself while maintaining an open mind

why a bipolar diagnosis is more complicated than many people realize

If you've ever wondered, "Do I really have bipolar disorder?", this conversation will help you understand what questions to ask, what to expect from the diagnostic process, and why the best mental health care is built on collaboration and not assumptions. Listen now!

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning podcast host, author, and sought-after suicide prevention and mental health speaker, but he wouldn’t be any of those things today if he hadn’t been committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003.Gabe also hosts Healthline's Inside Mental Health podcast has appeared in numerous publications, including Bipolar magazine, WebMD, Newsweek, and the Stanford Online Medical Journal. He has appeared on all four major TV networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. Among his many awards, he is the recipient of Mental Health America’s Norman Guitry Award, received two Webby Honoree acknowledgements, and received an official resolution from the Governor of Ohio naming him an “Everyday Hero.”

Gabe wrote the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Ama