Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder 149
Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder
296.80 (F31.9)
This category applies to presentations in which symptoms characteristic of a bipolar and
related disorder that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupa-
tional, or other important areas of functioning predominate but do not meet the full criteria
for any of the disorders in the bipolar and related disorders diagnostic class. The unspec-
ified bipolar and related disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician choos-
es not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific bipolar and related
disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a
more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
Specifiers for Bipolar and Related Disorders
Specify if:
With anxious distress:  The presence of at least two of the following symptoms during
the majority of days of the current or most recent episode of mania, hypomania, or de-
pression:
1. Feeling keyed up or tense.
2. Feeling unusually restless.
3. Difficulty concentrating because of worry.
4. Fear that something awful may happen.
5. Feeling that the individual might lose control of himself or herself.
Specify current severity:
Mild:  Two symptoms.
Moderate: Three symptoms.
Moderate-severe:  Four or five symptoms.
Severe:  Four or five symptoms with motor agitation.
Note:  Anxious distress has been noted as a prominent feature of both bipolar and
major depressive disorder in both primary care and specialty mental health set-
tings. High levels of anxiety have been associated with higher suicide risk, longer
duration of illness, and greater likelihood of treatment nonresponse. As a result, it
is clinically useful to specify accurately the presence and severity levels of anxious