Bipolar Disorder

Almost all people who have bipolar disorder need medicine. But counseling is also important to help you cope with work and relationship struggles related to your illness.

Counseling choices

• Reference Cognitive-behavioral therapy Opens New Window is a type of counseling aimed at teaching you how to become healthier by modifying certain thought and behavior patterns. It is based on the theory that thought and behavior can affect a person's symptoms and can slow or prevent recovery.
• Reference Interpersonal therapy Opens New Window focuses on social and personal relationships and related problems. You and your counselor discuss grief and loss, role disputes in relationships, and relationship transitions.
• Reference Problem solving Opens New Window is a brief, focused form of cognitive therapy used to treat depression. It focuses on specific problems and how you can solve them.
• Reference Family therapy Opens New Window is a type of counseling used to help families deal with a stressful situation or a life-changing event. In family therapy, each person can express any concerns and fears about how the problem affects the person who has bipolar disorder and the family as a whole.

No matter which type of counseling you choose, establish a long-term relationship with a counselor you like. The counselor will help you recognize personality changes that show when you are moving into a mood swing. Getting early treatment can reduce the length of the high or low. See some Reference tips for finding a counselor or therapist.

ECT therapy

In some cases, Reference electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an option. In this procedure, brief electrical stimulation to the brain is given through electrodes placed on the head. The stimulation produces a short seizure that is thought to balance brain chemicals.

Alternative therapy

Reference Omega-3 fatty acids have been getting some attention as a possible complementary treatment for bipolar disorder. But more research is needed to prove how well they work in treating this condition.^{Reference 6}

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