Bipolar disorder treatments will not cure you of the disorder. There is no cure today, but with proper treatment most individuals with a bipolar disorder can live their lives in a productive fashion and have reasonable control over their mood swings and the other symptoms associated with this disorder. This article will briefy explore and highlight the main methods used today to treat a bipolar disorder.
To reduce the severity of the symptoms, there really needs to be an effective combination of both medication and psychotherapy. Without both of these elements the chances for long term success in treating this disorder is diminished significantly.
Medication Treatments
Various medications are often used in treating a bipolar disorder and they are typically prescribed by an M.D. or psychiatrist. The important thing to keep in mind about the use of medication is that it is an ongoing process and it will often have to be changed or tweaked to increase its effectiveness for each individual. It is definitely not a one time, one size fits all method. Your doctor, if he or she is properly trained in this area, will want to monitor you closely and have you keep a daily chart on what is happening while you are on the medication: what are your mood swings like, how are you sleeping, what events are occurring in your life on that particular day, what are your eating habits, and a host of other factors.
What follows are some of the medications that are typically used. This information can change with time so you are encouraged to go to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration site, http://www.fda.gov, for the latest information.
- Mood Stabilizers – These are typically the first line of treatment and almost all of them, with the exception of lithium are anticonvulsants. While anticonvulsants main use is for the treatment of seizures, they have been found to be quite effective in treating mood swings associated with bipolar disorder. Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid), Valproic acid (Depakote), lamotrigine (Lamictal) are the most common medications in this category. On occasions Neurontin, Topamax, and Trileptal are also prescribed and are effective treatments.
- Atypical antipsychotics– These medications target manic behavior episodes and are referred to as “atypical” because they are not part of the conventional, first generation antipsychotics. They do come with side effects which makes close monitoring by your physician or psychiatrist very important. Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Aripiprazole (Abilify), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Resperidone (Risperdal), and ziprasidone (Geodon) make up this category of medications. It should be noted that olanzapine can bring on an increase in body weight and put a person at an increased risk for diabetes and heart problems.
- Antidepressants – These medications are almost always taken in conjunction with mood stabilizers. There has been recent studies which cast doubt on the effectiveness of these drugs in treating the depression. In one study done by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it seemed to indicate that patients who did not have the antidepressant medication along with the mood stabilizers, did just as well as those who did. Fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and bupropion (Wellbutrin) are some of the most common antidepressants used along with mood stabilizers in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is important because it is an important supplement to medication in helping the person gain a long term control over their bipolar disorder. It not only gives additional support to the individual patient, but for their families as well. What follows are some of the psychotherapeutic treatment methods that are commonly used and found to be effective:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This therapy focuses in on the patients self-defeating thought patterns and behaviors. The person is given direct instruction on how to identify destructive thinking patterns and how to replace them with more realistic thoughts and behaviors.
- Family Therapy – As you might guess, this approach is a “systems” approach to helping the patient by getting the whole family involved in therapy. This approach helps the family cope with the bipolar patient, improve communication between family members, and create a better structure and method for problem solving.
- Interpersonal/Social Rhythm Therapy – In this approach, the focus is on the patients relationships with significant others in their lives and on developing positive, productive daily routines that will help minimize the likelihood of a manic episode.
- Psychoeducation – This therapy emphasizes educating the patient about bipolar disorder in an effort to help him or her recognize symptoms in the event of a relapse and increase the likelihood that the person will get needed help and support before a full-blown episode occurs.
All of these treatments are provided by licensed professionals such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or counselor. Social workers, counselors, and psychologists will often work together with a psychiatrist or M.D. in getting their patient the proper medication they need.
A great deal of long-term success has been found with the combination of the treatments mentioned above. It is important to keep in mind that this will be a life-long process and the more effectively and consistently you work with your mental health professional, the greater the likelihood that you will successfully manage your bipolar disorder.
