How To Get Treated For Bi-Polar Disorder?

Mood condition called bipolar disorder produces abrupt changes in mood, energy, and behaviour. The primary symptoms of the illness are manic and hypomanic episodes, and the majority of those who have it also experience depressed periods. Medication, talk therapy, lifestyle modifications, and other therapies can help you manage the condition.

Bi-Polar Disorder

Manic-depressive disease, sometimes referred to as bipolar disorder or manic depression, is a chronic mood disorder and mental health condition that produces abrupt changes in mood, energy levels, thought processes, and behaviour. These shifts interfere with your ability to do daily duties and can persist for a few minutes or several days, weeks, or even months. There are a few different varieties of bipolar disorder, which are characterised by severe mood swings known as hypomanic/manic and depressed episodes. 

Signs and Symptoms

In mania phase, you experience dramatic changes in your emotions, thoughts, energy, talkativeness, and activity level. You also experience a time of excessively high or irritated mood. Others will note the shift in your regular conduct and high degree of vigour in your physical and mental activities. Manic individuals may engage in behaviours that hurt them physically, socially, or financially, such as abruptly spending or gambling enormous sums of money or operating a vehicle carelessly. A depressive episode includes many additional symptoms of depression, such as fatigue, changes in appetite, and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, in addition to a low or depressed mood and/or loss of interest in most activities.

Seeking Treatment

It’s critical to seek assistance as soon as possible if you believe you may have bipolar disorder. Unexpected ups and downs are a hallmark of bipolar illness. These ups and downs can be catastrophic if ignored. It is challenging to have a steady, fruitful life because of the disease’s recurrent manic and depressed phases. You could be impulsive and energetic during the manic period. It could be impossible to achieve anything at all during the depressed period. You can prevent these issues by receiving early diagnosis and treatment. An expert in mental health can provide a precise diagnosis and set you on the road to recovery.

The goals of a proper bipolar disorder treatment programme include symptom relief, regaining function, addressing issues that the disease has created at home and at work, and lowering the risk of recurrence.

A thorough bipolar treatment programme includes:

1. Medication. The cornerstone of treatment for bipolar illness is medication. Talk to experienced and trusted psychiatrist about your problems and ask for their assistance. They could refer few mood stabilising drug which can help keep symptoms in check and lessen the highs and lows associated with bipolar illness.
2. Psychotherapy. Dealing with bipolar disorder and the issues it has brought into your life requires therapy. You may mend broken relationships, manage stress, control your mood, and deal with tough or uncomfortable feelings by working with a therapist.

Here are some therapies that have been shown to be successful for BD.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: 

Individual treatment called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is concerned with the connection between a person’s ideas, feelings, and behaviours. CBT instructs users in:

• Identifying harmful presumptions and thought habits, then push oneself to practise more flexible ways of thinking.
• When someone is sad or manic, keep an eye on their energy levels to make sure they are focused with rewarding parts of their surroundings rather than being overextended.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy:

Individual and group treatment are both included in the skill-based dialectical behaviour therapy. It imparts mindfulness and acceptance techniques, such as how to experience present-moment thoughts, emotions, and the bodily sensations that go along with them from an observer’s viewpoint without passing judgement. Additionally, it teaches how to manage emotions, tolerate discomfort, and interact effectively with others.

Interpersonal And Social Rhythm Therapy

In IPSRT, an individualized therapy, the BD patient keeps daily logs of their bedtimes, wakeup hours, and activities, as well as the impact of alterations to these habits on their moods. In order to stabilise emotions, the clinician gives the patient coaching on how to control their daily schedules and sleep-wake cycles. The person and his or her therapist examine potential strategies to stop similar issues from happening in the future as they pinpoint one or more psychosocial problem areas (such as disagreements with co-workers or trouble maintaining friendships).

Family-focused counselling

The individual with BD, as well as their parents, partner, or other family members, are all included in family-focused treatment. Twelve sessions of FFT are normally conducted by a single therapist. Early sessions concentrate on educating patients about the disorder, including its causes, symptoms and how they cycle over time, early warning signals of future episodes, and what to do as a family to stop the episodes from worsening. Later sessions concentrate on problem-solving and communication techniques, particularly to handle family problems.

3. Psychoeducation. Having a detailed understanding of your condition is the first step in managing symptoms and avoiding complications. The more information you and your family members have on bipolar disorder, the better equipped you’ll be to avoid issues and handle setbacks.
4. Life style control. Your lifestyle can be carefully controlled to minimise symptoms and mood swings. This entails having a consistent sleep pattern, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, eating foods that improve mood, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and ensuring that your exposure to sunshine is constant throughout the year.

To keep an eye on your treatment program and symptoms, it’s crucial to see your health care professionals frequently. Online counselling with a certified therapist, online counsellor, or psychiatrist, is as effective as in-person treatment in such case, your meetings with your therapist take place at your house rather than in clinic. Choose an online counsellor from the TalktoAngel’s network of 700+ therapists and seek to treat the symptoms of your illness and receive regular online counselling session through phone, video, or live chat sessions. At TalktoAngel, highly qualified clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist and therapist have expertise in providing CBT to those with bipolar disorder.