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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder
Published on: May 2, 2025
[Is it all bipolar? Differential diagnosis of mood swings in young adulthood]
Matthias Nieberler1, Miriam Appel2, Catherina Klüpfel2
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Deutschland. nieberler_m@ukw.de.
Background:
Mood swings can represent a key symptom of various psychiatric disorders in young adulthood. Due to substantial symptom overlap, clinicians often face diagnostic uncertainty, increasing the risk of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
Objectives:
Description of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of mood swings in the most relevant psychiatric disorders.
Materials And Methods:
Narrative review based on the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) and pertinent literature.
Results:
Bipolar affective disorders exhibit episodic, mostly non-reactive mood swings in clearly defined temporary episodes. In unipolar depression, affective changes are predominantly downward-directed and may show diurnal variation. Emotionally unstable personality disorder is characterized by high-frequency, reactive, and interpersonally triggered affective states, whereas neurodevelopmental disorders typically present with situationally induced, short-lived emotional dysregulation.
Conclusions:
Differential diagnostic evaluation requires a comprehensive clinical assessment, possibly supported by life charts, mood diaries, or psychometric instruments. Given the frequent comorbidities and symptom overlap, a longitudinal diagnostic approach is recommended in cases of uncertainty.
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