Category: Manic Depression Treatment

The most important thing in Bipolar disorder or Manic Depression Treatment is to get help from a medical doctor, such as a psychiatrist.  He or she may conduct an interview, physical examination, and lab tests to begin the process of Manic Depression Treatment. Bipolar disorder cannot be detected through a blood test or brain scan, but this process can eliminate other causes of unusual mood changes, such as a stroke or brain tumor. The doctor may conduct a mental health evaluation or refer the person to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist is trained and experienced with diagnosing and treating mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder and can be very helpful in Manic Depression Treatment.  The psychiatrist will begin by asking questions about any family history of mental illnesses. Then he or she will continue by getting a complete history of symptoms. Input from family and friends should also be included in the medical history.

In looking for Manic Depression Treatment, people tend to seek help when they are experiencing depressive symptoms.  As a result, this can be mistaken to be major depressive disorder also known as unipolar disorder, which is bipolar with out the manic symptoms. It is for this reason that family members are asked to give a brief description of the person’s symptoms early in the process of Manic Depression Treatment.

To treat this disorder, medication is given to gain better control of mood swings and related symptoms. There is no actual cure for bipolar disorder, since it is a lifelong illness, but an effective maintenance plan in Manic Depression Treatment includes medication and psychotherapy to help control symptoms. Several different medications may need to be tried before the best course of treatment is found in Manic Depression Treatment, since not everyone responds to medications in the same way.

There is currently no cure that exists for Manic Depression, but with good treatment most who suffer from this could live a good life. However, the symptoms can be controlled provided those afflicted maintain long-term treatment.  The Manic Depression Treatment plan that has been found to be the most helpful includes medication and psychotherapy. These are used to not only reduce the severity of symptoms, but to prevent relapse.

This treatment is best done and supervised by someone who has a lot of experience in treating mental illness with medications. This person is Psychiatrist with experience in Manic Depression Treatment. During the course of Manic Depression Treatment it is important to keep in mind that everyone does not respond in the same way to medications, so many different ones may have to be tried until the treatment that is most helpful can be discovered. As a result, Manic Depression Treatment may involve switching between different medications or adding some, until the best Manic Depression Treatment is found.

There are many types of medications generally used in Manic Depression Treatment.  These include neuroleptics, mood-stabilizing medications and anti-depressants.  In Manic Depression Treatment mood-stabilizing medications are often the first choice.  There are several of these and they are also used by Neurologists as anti-seizure medications.  The neuroleptics are a different class of medication used in treating manic depression.

In addition to these, sometimes antidepressant medications are used along with mood-stabilizing medication in Manic Depression Treatment.  In particular, this is the case when depressive symptoms are found with it.  However, in Manic Depression Treatment, people who take antidepressants are also on a mood stabilizer too.  This is for protection against the fact that if a person with manic depression is taking only an antidepressant they are at risk of having there mood switch to mania or hypomania and can even devolop symptoms of a rapid cycling of mood.

At Proliance Center we know that one of the common problems that can occur in those with Manic Depression is that individuals may have trouble sleeping.  However, they will usually sleep better after getting Manic Depression Treatment.  Another problem we find is that usually people feel irritable and can feel easily frustrated.  This too can improve in Manic Depression Treatment.

It is important to keep in mind that during the course of Manic Depression Treatment individuals should not make any changes to the medications they take.  Additionally, they should not take any supplements or natural products without running it by the Psychiatrist.  This is due to the high likelihood of interactions that could occur with other medications and even be fatal.

Finally, psychotherapy, or “talk” therapy, is effective in Manic Depression Treatment here at Proliance Center.  This is very important in providing guidance, support and education to those with bipolar disorder and their families.  It also helps in providing “tools” to deal with the seemingly random feelings those with manic depression can experience and in coping with the stress of the world around you. Family-Focused Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychoeducation and Social Rhythm Therapy are just some of several different psychotherapies that are helpful in treating severe manic depression.  Recently we are also looking at Dialectic Behavioral Therapy techniques (commonly used in those with Borderline Personality Disorder) to provide help for those who suffer from Manic Depression.