Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition diagnosed when a person experiences severe mood shifts and major depressive episodes. People with this mental health condition experience extreme mood elevation called manic episodes and major depressive episodes. The durations of these manic and depressive episodes are from few hours to several days. These cycles can also go for several weeks or even months.

Bipolar disorder is a long-term mood disorder that affects your thinking, feelings, and behavior. This mental health condition is not curable. However, many treatments can help manage the symptoms.

Treatments for bipolar disorder aim to help reduce the severity and frequency of manic and depressive episodes and help you live a normal life.

Treatment options for bipolar disorder

If left untreated, bipolar-related manic and depressive episodes can last for more than several months or even a year. But with effective treatment, you can reduce the duration of these episodes for 3 months or less. Bipolar is usually treated by using a combination of different treatments. You can include one or more of the following treatments:

• Mood stabilizer medication – to prevent episodes of depression and mania, take them every day on a long-term basis or as prescribed by your doctor.
• Medicines to treat the symptoms of mania and depression when they occur.
• Knowing the triggers and signs of an episode.
• Psychological treatment – like talk therapies, helps you deal with depression and advise you on improving relationships.
• Lifestyle guide – like regular exercise, diet improvement, sleeping schedule, and planning activities.

Most treatments don’t require patients to stay in the hospital. However, hospital treatment may become necessary if your symptoms are severe and there’s a danger of harming yourself or others. Nevertheless, you can have your treatment in a day at the hospital and can return home at night in some cases.

Medicines for bipolar disorder

Following are some of the many medicines that are available to help stabilize mood swings:

• lithium
• anticonvulsant medicines
• antipsychotic medicines

Depressive episodes in bipolar disorder are treated slightly differently. According to most guidelines, depression in bipolar disorder can be treated with just a mood stabilizer. However, prescribing antidepressants along with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic is common in most cases.

Ketamine Bipolar Treatment

Ketamine bipolar treatment or ketamine therapy is a viable alternative to treat major depression in bipolar disorder. This treatment is often recommended before TMS and ECT because of its high effectiveness, rapid action, and safe outcomes with fewer side effects. Ketamine can also produce quick relief with fewer sessions as compared to other treatment options.

According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, ketamine infusions for bipolar-related depression are highly effective, especially for patients with treatment-resistant symptoms. Learn more about, “What is Ketamine Infusion Therapy?”

Side effects

You can expect mild side effects, which often improve when you find the right medications and treatments. However, if you experience bothersome side effects, talk to your mental health professional about it. It is crucial not to make any changes by yourself or stop taking your prescribed medicines. Your symptoms may worsen if you stop your treatment unless advised by your doctor. Call your doctor if you think you need to make a change.

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