There are a number of ways to effectively treat bipolar disorder. Some are considered traditional and others alternative. A typical or traditional treatment plan for bipolar or manic-depressive disorder might include both therapy and medication. These two methods coupled together have proven to be amongst the most effective.
Depression Medication
A person with bipolar disorder may be given medications in order to try and stabilize their episodes of mania and depression. Various types may be prescribed. Some of the most common include mood stabilizers, antidepressant calcium channel blockers, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety medications and sedatives. Below, we will take a look at some of the mood stabilizers which might be prescribed to person with bi-polar disorder. This group of medications is considered amongst the most important and effective in the treatment of the condition.
Perhaps the most popular and one of the more commonly prescribed medications is lithium. It was the first medication to be given to those who suffered from bipolar disorder. It is given mostly to control mania, but it also can help in improve those feelings of depression a person with manic depressive disorder may experience.
Lithium was discovered as an effective treatment for bipolar disorder in the late part of the 19th century, though it wasn’t originally given to those with bipolar disorder. The use and experimentation of the drug on individuals with bipolar disorder order began showing up in physician-scribed papers in the 1950s. Eventually, the drug was developed in such a way that it would most effectively treat those with bipolar disorder condition. It would be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, for that purpose in the early part of the 1970s. Today, it is used quite frequently to treat those with bipolar disorder. It helps to temper a person’s manic episodes and also has antidepressant properties. Lithium is one of the main medications used for those with this condition.
As stated above, medication is typically only one part of the treatment model for those with bipolar disorder. Psychological therapies will also be required. There are different types of psychological treatments that may be used. Some of the most common include cognitive behavior therapy, group therapy, gestalt therapy, talk therapy and psychoanalytic therapy. Couples who are married and who are experiencing problems in their marriage related to one of the partners having bipolar disorder may need to attend marriage counseling. For those with children, family counseling may be a good option as well. As far as medication goes, aside from the mood stabilizers stated above, other medications used to treat the condition include antipsychotics, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers & anti-anxiety and sedatives may also be used.
There are many different medications which can be prescribed to individuals with bipolar disorder. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and calcium channel blockers are the most common. They help to either improve a persons mental state while they are in a depressive state (anti-depressants) or they may help even out the intense manic emotions a person experiences while they are in that state.