Treatment

There is a variety of treatment options for persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  They fall into three broad groups – medical, talk therapy, and self-care.  Each type of treatment may be used alone or combined with each other.

There are different kinds of medication used to treat bipolar disorder.  The four main types are:

• Mood stabilizers – used to delay or relieve mood shifts (both depression and mania)
• Antidepressants – used to treat people during depressive episodes.  They are usually used in conjunction with mood stabilizers so as to avoid a sudden shift into manic episodes.
• Antipsychotics – used to treat mania and psychosis which may result from these episodes.  They may also be used in conjunction with other medication.
• Electroconvulsive therapy – used to treat both severe mania and depression.  It is not technically a medication and can be optimal for people who do not respond well to the other types of medical treatment.

Talk therapy is also called psychotherapy.  It involves sessions with a professional, talking about how to deal with the situation as well as sorting out one’s thoughts and relationships with others.  Self-care is basically learning all you can about your disorder and learning how to deal with the situation.