Bipolar Disorder Treatment: What You Need to Know

Dr. Wes Burgess in his book, The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers, Penguin 2006 says - “It is estimated that 2 to 7% of people in the United States suffer from bipolar disorder. Almost 10 million people will develop the illness sometimes during their lives.” The book also says that about half of these people will never receive the correct diagnosis or proper bipolar disorder treatment. And
according to reports from the National Mental Health Association, about 30% to 70% of suicide attempts are results of depression. People suffering from bipolar disorder are more prone to suicide if they don’t get any proper treatment. This is why bipolar disorder treatment is of utmost importance.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment: Some Important Things You Should Know

Ignoring bipolar disorder treatment can have far reaching effects on the patient’s life, right from health to career to relationships. The early diagnosis of the disorder and proper bipolar disorder treatment can help prevent such complications. It improves the patient’s chances of getting back to a normal life and staying well. Effective bipolar disorder treatment helps patients by reducing the intensity of depressive and manic episodes and in restoring their ability to function normally.

Here are some important things that you need to know about treatment of bipolar disorder:

• Bipolar disorder requires long-term treatment

Bipolar disorder is a relapsing and chronic disease. This is why it is vital to seek long-term treatment, even when the patient feels better. Patients might need medication to stay symptom-free and avoid new episodes.

• Medication alone is not enough for bipolar disorder treatment

Medication alone is not enough for the treatment of this disorder as they can’t entirely control symptoms. People suffering from this disorder sometimes self-medicate with drugs or alcohol to get relief from their symptoms. However, self medication can lead to further complications and side effects. For effective treatment, bipolar disorder requires a combination of therapy, medication, social support, and lifestyle changes.

• Seek advice from an experienced psychiatrist

Diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be delicate even for qualified professionals and so it is preferable to seek assistance from an experienced psychiatrist rather than just any physician or family doctor. A skilled and experienced psychiatrist can help patients successfully handle the turns and twists of this disorder. Experienced psychiatrists will also know more about the latest bipolar disorder treatment techniques and researches.

It can be tricky to distinguish bipolar disorder from other problems such as borderline personality disorder, major depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, in some cases it takes years to identify and treat the disorder. So if you think that you or someone close to you is displaying symptoms of the disorder, you should immediately seek treatment, without wasting anytime.