What is the recommended approach for diagnosing and assessing bipolar disorder?

I cannot provide an APA 7 reference for the "Praxis Medical Insights" document on bipolar disorder diagnosis and assessment, as this appears to be an internal evidence synthesis document rather than a traditionally published source with standard citation information.

However, I can direct you to the primary source guidelines that inform the diagnostic and assessment recommendations:

Primary Guideline Source:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2007). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(1), 107-125. 1

Key Diagnostic and Assessment Recommendations from This Guideline:

Screening Approach:

• Ask specific screening questions focusing on distinct, spontaneous periods of mood elevation with decreased need for sleep and psychomotor activation 2
• Assess for family psychiatric history, particularly mood disorders, as this represents a four- to sixfold increased risk 1
• Evaluate past treatment responses, especially any antidepressant-induced mood elevation 2

Diagnostic Criteria Application:

• Follow DSM-IV-TR criteria strictly, including duration requirements: at least 7 days for mania or 4 days for hypomania 2
• Document that manic episodes represent a distinct departure from baseline functioning, not just temperamental traits 2
• Differentiate manic symptoms from ADHD, disruptive behavior disorders, and PTSD through careful assessment of episodic versus chronic patterns 2

Essential Assessment Components:

• Use a life chart to map longitudinal course of symptoms, documenting when symptom clusters began, their duration, and remission periods 2, 3
• Obtain collateral information from family members, as patients often lack insight during manic episodes 2
• Screen for suicidality, as bipolar disorder carries high suicide attempt rates 2
• Complete medical evaluation including thyroid function, CBC, and comprehensive metabolic panel to exclude organic causes 2
• Obtain toxicology screening to rule out substance-induced mood disorder 2

Critical Differential Diagnosis Points:

• Chronic, persistent irritability without distinct episodes suggests DMDD, not bipolar disorder 2
• PTSD-related irritability is reactive to trauma reminders; manic irritability occurs spontaneously 2
• In children under age 6, bipolar diagnosis validity has not been established—exercise extreme caution 2