Prognosis of Short-Term Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder disrupts the nerve cells that transmit signals in the brain. The short-term prognosis of people with bipolar disorder depends heavily on the interventions they accept in their lives.

High

• A person with bipolar disorder may be suffering from the mania associated with the disease. In this case, he may have an inflated view of himself. He may need less sleep and food than is typical. He might engage in reckless behavior such as gambling or sex.

Low

• A bipolar person may also be suffering from a low where she has decreased interest in daily life. She may have a disruption in eating and sleeping and a preoccupation with death.

  A bipolar person may also be "rapid cycling" between the manic highs and the depressive lows.

Getting Help from a Doctor

• The first thing a person with bipolar disorder needs is help from a therapeutic professional who is trained to counsel. Medicinal intervention is almost certainly necessary, and a licensed doctor can work with the bipolar client to find a suitable cocktail of medications that assuages the symptoms and to meet other needs.

Mood Stabilizers and Antipsychotics

• The first option in medication is a mood stabilizer, which helps to even out the temperament of the bipolar person. One commonly used mood stabilizer is lithium, but there are newer options available that have less of a catatonic effect on the personality.

  Another option is antipsychotics. These are helpful to combat the delusional thoughts of grandeur that often strike the bipolar person. Examples of antipsychotics include Abilify and Geodon.

Family Support

• The person with bipolar disorder will do much better if he has the support of a community to encourage him to take his meds and to be sympathetic in his healing process. Often a person with bipolar disorder has been suffering for a very long time, and it can take just as long to heal. A supportive living environment should be held in high regard.