by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Oct 23, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
Why Bipolar Disorder Is Often Misunderstood Bipolar disorder is often misunderstood, both by the general public and even by some patients themselves. It’s common for people to casually use the term “bipolar” to describe mood swings, but the actual bipolar disorder...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 7, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
You’re in clinic with a 29-year-old twice-divorced man experiencing depressive symptoms. He’s never had a psychiatric diagnosis before, denies substance abuse, and reports no family history of depression or other psychiatric illnesses. This is his first major...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Aug 5, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
Raise your hand if you knew that bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder have significant similarities 🙋🏾♀️ Even after eight years of working as a psych NP, I recently realized how tough it can be to distinguish bipolar vs borderline personality...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Jul 10, 2025 | Clinical support resources
A bipolar I disorder diagnosis is easy to make or rule out early—if you understand the diagnostic criteria. If you’re a PMHNP or other mental health provider, always start by ruling out mania. To accurately diagnose bipolar disorder, look for a history of mood...