Treatment and Help

It is crucial for a person with bipolar disorder to follow their treatment. Many people who are bipolar and have to take medication don't take it because they are scared of the side-effects. It is important that the family members or friends of those who have bipolar disorder should absolutely encourage them to take their medication and should offer them all the help possible. Thanks to treatment most people are able to live fulfilling lives. 

The first step is to see a doctor called a psychiatrist. Many people confuse a psychologist and psychiatrist and may think that they are the same types of doctor. On the contrary, a psychologist can’t prescribe medication when a psychiatrist can. A psychiatrist can make a medical diagnosis, but a psychologist will help you talk about what you’re feeling and face your troubles. It is very important that you get correctly diagnosed, otherwise the medication will not work and you can remain untreated. 

The second step is the treatment, which consists of both therapy and medication. The most common treatment is lithium. It has been around for 60 years now which means it's the longest lasting medication that treats bipolar disorder. It  has worked wonders for many people. It is the only medication that treats both mania and depression. In the past, people who took lithium had to take very high dosages which led to having very bad side effects but today, scientists have a better understanding of how lithium works so pysciatrists have been able to lower the dosage so people have less side-effects.

However, it doesn't work for everyone so some people take anti- psychotics or anti-depressants. Some anti-pyscotics are Abilify (aripiprazole), Geodon (ziprasidone), Latuda (lurasidone) (for bipolar depression), Risperdal (risperidone), Saphris (asenapine), Seroquel (quetiapine) (for mania or bipolar depression), Zyprexa (olanzapine). The side effects of these anti-psychotics are blurred vision, dry mouth, muscle spasms and tremor, involuntary facial tics, and weight gain. Some anti-depressants are Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, and novel antidepressants such as Wellbutrin. The side effects of these antidepressants are dizziness, insomnia, weight loss, anxiety and restlessness, drowsiness and fatigue, dry mouth, tremors, and headaches.

Remember the wisest thing to do if you are looking for a treatment is to see a psychiatrist so that they can tell you what you should take and also they can make sure you are taking the right amount.

The second part of the treatment is attending therapy. Therapy can be either individual or as a group. Generally, people tend to prefer individual therapy because they don’t  like telling other people about their personal problems, unfortunatly those therapists tend to be expensive and not everybody can afford them. 
Some people don't have medical insurance so they can't have access to any type of doctor so the only way they can get help is through a support group. A support group may not be for everyone because it may feel uncomfortable to talk to strangers about your personal experience but it does help some people just to be able to talk and listen to others that sometimes inspires them to get better because everyone has a different experience. It is very important that you find a support group with people who have the same illness as you and who are the same age.