Encyclopedia section
Diagnosis
ADHD
ADHD is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder of self-regulation and executive function. Its distractibility, restlessness, and emotional reactivity can overlap with — and accompany — depression.
Read →Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a highly heritable mood disorder defined by episodes of mania or hypomania that usually alternate with depression. Its central diagnostic danger is being mistaken for ordinary depression.
Read →CFS & Long COVID
ME/CFS and Long COVID are real, disabling post-infection illnesses sharing a core of fatigue, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise. Distinguishing them from depression is consequential, because "push through it" advice can cause lasting harm.
Read →Depression
Major depressive disorder is a common, recurrent mood syndrome of persistent low mood and lost pleasure, diagnosed clinically rather than by any test. Getting the differential right — especially versus bipolar disorder — is central to safe treatment.
Read →Diagnostic Testing & Workup
Psychiatry has no validated diagnostic biomarker — diagnoses rest on clinical assessment, not a blood test or scan. Lab and biomarker testing earns its place by detecting reversible contributors, guiding safe prescribing, and stratifying treatment rather than confirming a disorder.
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