Bipolar Treatments: Non-Conventional Approaches

Bipolar disorder treatments may be pharmacological as in prescribed medications or psychotherapeutic as in family or support group therapy, or even a combination of both. Whichever regimen is decided upon, a better understanding of the disorder and the bipolar treatment is a must.

Treating bipolar disorder is oftentimes a collaborative process involving a combination of several treatment approaches that include medication, therapy, and complementary treatment methods. The principles behind combination treatments lie in the fact that the disorder is sometimes brought about by several psychiatric or physical factors.

Medications

To treat bipolar disorder, the first line of defense is usually the mood stabilizer. Mood stabilizers are medications that help prevent depressive or manic episodes. Some of the more common and proven effective mood stabilizers are lithium and anti-convulsants. Mood stabilizers, from the term itself, are usually more on the side of preventing mania.

Other medications that are used for treating bipolar disorder include the anti-convulsant valproic afid, lamotrigine, and carbamazepine. There are also antipsychotic medications for acute mania like Quetiapine, Risperidone, and Olanzapine.

These medications, like all other medicines, generally cause side effects. Lithium usually causes stomach upset and memory problems. Anticonvulsants cause weight gain and sometimes sedation. Antipsychotics generally cause sedation and bodily and metabolic changes like weight gain and hyperglycemia.

Bipolar treatment medicines produce different effects and efficacies in different persons. The length of time within which medications produce any marked effect on bipolar disorder will also be different in each case. Doctors and patients cannot expect to get immediate reactions from any bipolar disorder medication.

Other Bipolar Treatments

To support medication, psychotherapy is also generally used. Psychotherapy may come in the form of family-focused therapy, cognitive therapy, group therapy, psycho-education, and social therapy, all aside of course from the foremost interpersonal therapy between a health or mental health professional and the patient.  Therapy may be administered by psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, friends, family, peer groups and support groups.

Psychotherapy is important to help address the social and interpersonal effects of manic behavior or depression episodes. With therapy a patient is better equipped to understand why he or she acts the way he or she does, what the possible results are, the long term effects of the behavior. Any individual suffering from bipolar disorder should undergo a thorough evaluation by a psychiatrist to determine the best possible therapy scheme that is most appropriate for that patient.

Non-Conventional Bipolar Treatments

Some other forms of treatment for bipolar disorder include traditional and non-conventional types like acupuncture, meditation or yoga, and orthomolecular therapy. Yoga has been proven to have therapeutic results in treating disorders caused about by stress, depression, severe emotional challenges, and even physical or metabolic problems.

Meditation is one lower-level form of yoga that is also helpful. These are usually done prior to more in-depth psychotherapeutic sessions. Acupuncture is sometimes resorted to in order to ease tension and depression, too.

Dietary changes and lifestyle changes are also prescribed in some bipolar disorder cases. For example, bipolar kids may be put on ketogenic diets that stabilize moods and help ease depression. There are diets that totally address stress and tension and stress reduction actually eases anxiety and depression and helps bipolar disorder patients better cope with the disorder.

What to Remember about Bipolar Treatments

A number of things need to be kept in mind in treating bipolar disorder. First, the goals for the treatment should be established. If the objective is to merely restore normal mood and avoid swings, the medication or treatment will be different. If the objective is decrease if not totally eradicate relapse, then the medication and treatment will again be different. A combination of treatment and medication forms may be resorted to by the medical professional prescribing them especially if the patient is manifesting combined or different symptoms.

The most important thing is to help the bipolar disorder patient in accepting and coming to terms with the presence of the disorder. Only then will the healing process begin, after accepting the fact that the patient indeed has a disorder. How the patient responds to treatment is also another consideration. Conversely, how the patient may be resisting bipolar treatments, whether in medication or therapy or combination thereof, should also be looked at.