About Treatments For Bipolar Disorder: Treatments For Bipolar Disorder

Read about treatments for bipolar disorder and how it can also help with depression. Depression not only affects the person who is going through it, but also everyone around them, including friends, family, loved ones, spouses, and children.

Treatment for the Disorder

Treatment is essential to control and manage bipolar disorder or its symptoms. Pharmacological and psychological techniques are both used as treatment for this disorder.

Most people with bipolar disorder require combination of medications and in general a variety of medications are used to manage and control bipolar disorder. Medications known as mood stabilizers are used to manage and control manic or depressive episodes. Mood stabilizing medicines are effective at treating and preventing manic episodes linked to bipolar disorder. Some of these medications are favorable for treatment of bipolar depression. It should be expected that like in any medication' bipolar disorder medicine will also have side effects such as nausea' diarrhea' memory problems and weight gain' being some. Higher the dosage the side effects will be more.

Effects of medication differ from person to person' and it takes a considerable length of time to find out the complete effect of a particular drug' as bipolar disorder is episodic' and patients may feel better with or without treatment. Therefore patients and their doctors should not expect immediate relief' although psychosis with mania can respond quickly to anti psychotics. Doctors warn that patients should not expect complete stability for at least 3 to 4 weeks as some anti depressants may take 4 to 6 weeks to take effect. Medical advice emphasize the importance of not stopping the medication prematurely' nor should they discontinue medication when the symptoms disappear as there is a possibility for the depression to return. It does not respond quickly to resumed medication' as it might usually take up to 6 weeks to respond. Mania may disappear slowly or it may become depression.

In 1949 an Australian psychiatrist known as Dr John Cade discovered lithium salts as a treatment for bipolar disorder and since has been used as a first line treatment for bipolar disorder. In ancient days' doctors would send their mentally ill patients to drink from `alkali springs’ as a treatment but what they did not know was that they were prescribing lithium' which was present as a high percentage in that water. The two lithium salts used for bipolar disorder are mostly lithium carbonate and sometimes lithium citrate. It is believed that lithium also reduces the risk of suicide. However' when taking lithium' it is required that regular blood testing is done as persons taking lithium may have side effects such as blood pressure' water retention and constipation.

A combination of medication with certain types of psychotherapy' may be beneficial to the treatment of bipolar disorders. Family therapy such as family communications and social functions are beneficial to sufferers especially the females.

Though there is no guarantee that medication and psychotherapy will cure the illness' it can often help to address the disruptive nature of manic or depressive episodes such as hurting a patient’s career' relationships or self-esteem

Where other treatments have not been effective' electroconvulsive therapy is sometimes used to treat severe bipolar depression. Though this treatment is considered highly effective' the doctors are reluctant to use it' unless as a last resort' as it can cause temporary memory loss' complications of ECT' particularly when repeated treatment is needed.

Omega 3 fatty acids which are especially found in fish' fish oils' algae and to a lesser degree in flaxseed' flaxseed oil and walnut' is an excellent supplement to medication for bipolar disorder.

It is believed Acupuncture' medication' yoga and orthomolecular therapy may be good for mild bipolar depressions but more research is required to determine which complementary therapy is effective for what illness type and for whom.

Understanding and recognizing the symptoms when they occur and knowing how to control them using appropriate medication and psychotherapy has given individuals the power to diagnose and control the bipolar disorder. This is called prodrome detection and this is what it should be for one to become and expert of one’s own illness.