Amazing Treatments for Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that runs an unpredictable course of changes in mood, energy, and activity levels that can make day-to-day living difficult. These mood changes include depression (low or weary lows) and manic episodes (intense and hyperactive highs). This article discusses treatments for bipolar disorder using therapy and antipsychotics, as well as some unconventional natural remedies.
Table of Contents
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is the combination of recurring depression and manic episodes when left untreated, can cause severe disruption to a person’s life.
It affects both males and females and bipolar disorder is generally diagnosed at 25. However, in some cases, symptoms start appearing at an early age.
During manic episodes, a patient feels hyperactive, has elevated mood or emotions, and has impulsive behavior. While in the depressive phase, the person feels drastic weary lows, coping with these lows can be difficult depending on the individual’s coping mechanism.
Fortunately, with early diagnosis and successful treatment, many people have overcome this disorder and live productive lives. However, the prime concern here is to identify if the person behaving weirdly around you is bipolar or not. We may often confuse our loved ones suffering from bipolar disorder as just depressed or disturbed without knowing that they are going through something more severe form of depression or mania.
To understand the disorder and for appropriate treatment, it is essential to identify the symptoms and patterns of depression and mania. Once appropriately diagnosed, only then can we expect to help our loved ones get rid of it. Continue reading below to learn about the symptoms of bipolar disorder.
Symptoms and Pattern of Behaviors (Depression/mania)
Do not ignore the signs if you notice any of these indications in your loved ones.
Depressive Phase Signs:
- Foggy thinking
- Feelings of low self-worth
- Loss of interest in everyday activities
- A sense of hopelessness and despair
- Physical fatigue
- Changes in appetite
- Not sleeping at all or sleeping too much
- Problems with memory and concentration
- Hallucinations and being delusional
- Self-destructive behaviors like suicide attempts
Maniac Indications:
- Feeling very happy or overjoyed
- Talking very fast
- High levels of energy and enthusiasm
- Racing thoughts with poor judgment
- Do things that can have devastating consequences like spending large sums of money, driving too fast, or having unsafe sex.
- Loss of appetite and sleep
- Angry outbursts
- Experiencing a less extreme form of mania having elevated energy levels, increased productivity, and more outgoing behavior known as hypomania.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder in a person vary depending on the nature of episodes and severity. Its effects are wide-ranging and are responsible for psychotic episodes that involve depressive phase psychosis (psychosis expressing itself as paranoid delusion) and manic phase psychosis (psychosis may involve delusions).
Types of Bipolar Disorder
There are two different types of Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar I and Bipolar II.
Bipolar I is when a person suffers from manic episodes, hypomanic episodes, and major depressive episodes. Bipolar II is when a person suffers from hypomanic episodes and manic episodes, according to the diagnostic criteria from the DSM-V which is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental health disorders.
Exploring Bipolar Disorder Treatments
Several factors are responsible for the successful treatment of bipolar disorder; medications alone cannot do miracles. You must communicate with your doctors and therapists to educate yourself about your condition. Recognize the difference between your authentic self and your symptoms. Only then can you help yourself by adopting healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce your need for medication. It’s crucial to stick to your treatment plan, and once you start observing changes in your behavioral patterns, reexamine with your doctor for a revised treatment plan.
It requires a lot of patience on your way to recovery from bipolar disorder, and it won’t happen overnight. Bipolar disorder treatment has its ups and downs and might take time and numerous doctor visits before being correctly identified and treated. But you must talk to your health care provider to get your symptoms under control and live life to the fullest.
A combination of therapies essential for the bipolar disorder treatment include:
Medication
Treating bipolar depression is one of the challenges in clinical practice, but according to recent findings use of traditional anti-depressants and drug therapy is highly effective at controlling bipolar disorder symptoms.
Psychiatric drugs help calm down moods and restore balance to energy levels, limiting the impulse to abuse alcohol. Medications for bipolar patients are tricky sometimes and need to be selected and adjusted carefully. In a few cases, certain drugs resulted in triggering manic episodes or worsening depression.
Every drug and antidepressant leaves a different impact; the drug that successfully treats major depression in an average person may not be equally effective for a bipolar patient and can induce manic psychosis in the patient.
That is why bipolar disorder medication falls into the following categories:
Mood Stabilizers- Lithium is one of the widely prescribed mood-stabilizing pharmacological agents. It is most potent at preventing or reducing the severity of bipolar disorder type I (mania and depressive episodes) and type II (hypomania and depression).
It has a unique anti-suicidal effect and high potential relevance in treating the disorder as such patients suffer an increased risk of suicidal attempts. The efficacy of lithium in preventing relapses and acute episodes is of high significance.
If lithium is prescribed, and you gain relief you can supplement some lithium orotate in and talk to your doctor and see if you can lessen your prescription dosage but do not stop on your own. Discontinuation of lithium without the doctor’s permission can result in adverse effects and may increase the risk of relapse in your mood swings.
However, lithium orotate is a natural alternative that is safer and has fewer side effects because you can take it in a smaller dose due to its bioavailability.
Anticonvulsant drugs- are anti-seizure medications prescribed to prevent mood instability in individuals with bipolar disorder. Commonly recommended anticonvulsants are divalproex, carbamazepine, lamotrigine and topiramate. When bipolar disorder does not respond to lithium on its own, anticonvulsant medicine may be used alone or in combination with lithium to enhance the results.
Antipsychotics can be particularly useful for severe behavior warning signs. Quetiapine, aripiprazole, risperidone, and olanzapine are the antipsychotics that help to minimize the delusional thought patterns and erratic moods caused by manic phases.
Other medicines for Specific Symptoms- in addition to psychiatric medications, doctors can add other pharmacologic drugs that address the physical symptoms of bipolar disorder. These include medicines for sleep or anxiety, certain blood pressure medications, and medications that help ease hormonal imbalances.
Psychological Treatments/ Therapies
From reduction in any mood relapse to enhanced social functioning, a few of the therapies that show promise are:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) examines how your thoughts affect your emotions and addresses destructive behaviors that contribute to depression, addiction, and anxiety. Clients learn to change negative thinking patterns and replace them with more positive, self-affirming coping strategies. You also know to identify self-defeating thoughts and actions and find ways to overcome their consequences.
Interpersonal therapy focuses on interpersonal problems and current relationship issues and helps you alter the way you treat significant people by reducing stress in your life. Since stress triggers bipolar disorder, this type of therapy uses a relationship-oriented approach to decrease interpersonal issues.
Solution-Focused Therapy is a client-centered therapy responsible for helping individuals with mental illness and addiction to recover from the addiction and set specific goals for a healthy lifestyle. Substance use or abuse and addictions can cause the patient to delve deeply into mental instability and self-harm. This therapy works well in urging the patient to define a pattern of positive daily activities and habits.
Trauma therapies are concerned with those who face an increase in severity of bipolar disorder due to any childhood abuse or violence, history of traumatic events, and chaotic living environment. Such a therapy targets internalized fears and negative memories, escalating agitation and anxiety.
Healthy Lifestyle Remedies
An unhealthy lifestyle and poor eating and sleeping habits can worsen depression symptoms. So consider adopting these healthier habits like eating meals and snacks at specific times throughout the day and increasing your intake of vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. In addition, maintaining a sleep routine of a minimum of seven to nine hours of sleep each night and waking up and going to bed simultaneously every day can help improve stress management and ward off depression.
When scheduling your daily tasks, prioritize your time to make sure you attend medical appointments despite your lack of energy and not having enough motivation to do anything. It’s essential to continue participating in activities such as reading or baking and others that make you happy because it can alleviate depression and aggression.
Social situations are overwhelming sometimes but don’t isolate yourself when you’re depressed. You might feel like being alone, and being alone can intensify the symptoms of depression. Getting involved in social activities and spending time with loved ones, friends and family can help you feel more comfortable and confident.
Similarly, if you have never tried a relaxing massage, yoga, or meditation, consider booking an appointment at a nearby spa. Again, it may sound new to you, but they can make it easier for you to cope with irritability you may be facing and be beneficial during depressive episodes.
The Bottom Line
There may be no possible cure for bipolar disorder, but following a treatment plan and making lifestyle modifications could be of more benefit to your condition. Most of the time, a combination of medication and psychotherapy can help boost your mood and relieve symptoms.
These are all the best possible treatments for bipolar disorder; we hope this writing proves beneficial to all. All the best!
Originally posted 2022-05-05 01:17:07.
Megan Santiago
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