How to Treat Bipolar Diagnosis

Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes a person to experience drastic mood swings. They may alternate between feelings of euphoria, or mania, and depression. These moods can last for days, during which time the manic person may not sleep at all and the depressed person may contemplate suicide. Though there is no cure for bipolar disease it is completely controllable with the right combination of medication, therapy and support.

Things You'll Need

• Mood stabilizers
• Anti-psychotic medications
• Psychiatrist
• Therapist

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Instructions

Treating Bipolar Disorder

• 1

  Go to a psychiatrist. You will need to take medication to control your mood swings if you have a bipolar disorder. Your general practitioner won't have the same knowledge of psychoactive medications that a psychiatrist will. A psychiatrist also has an understanding of bipolar illness as a disease. He can evaluate your symptoms and prescribe medication based on your unique needs.

• 2

  Take medication. Several medications are on the market to control symptoms of a bipolar disorder. Mood stabilizers, like Lithium, are the most commonly prescribed medications to regulate and control mood swings. Anti-seizure medication is used to prevent mood swings, especially for people whose moods cycle rapidly between a manic and depressed state. Zyprexa and Risperdal are examples of anti-psychotic medications used to calm people in a manic state.

• 3

  See a psychotherapist. Not all psychiatrists provide talk-therapy treatment. Oftentimes, a bipolar person will have difficulty with relationships, keeping jobs and possibly even living on their own. A therapist will use specialized techniques, like the popular cognitive-behavioral therapy, to analyze how you interact with people and different situations. A therapist can also council you on how to change your behavior by changing your perception of situations.