How is bipolar disorder treated?

The main treatment options for bipolar disorder include a combination of medication and psychotherapy, as well as palliative care and family therapy. Watch psychologist Jeffrey Gardere, PhD, discuss these treatment options for bipolar disorder.

Transcript

00:00

Family therapy is also extremely important, because someone with bipolar disorder,

00:06

which is a very serious mental illness, certainly, there are issues within the family where you want

00:13

the family to be supportive. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:21

The treatments for bipolar disorder are various. If you are having what we call a regular bipolar disorder, then,

00:30

certainly, the treatment of choice would be medication and psychotherapy.

00:36

A lot of physicians tend to use a drug called lithium. If you're having the rapid cycling--

00:43

in other words, going from depression to mania within a 48- to 72-hour period, then

00:51

we look at, again, psychotherapy, but also two medications in particular-- one of those

00:58

being valproic acid, and the second one being carbamazepine. Though many physicians and psychologists

01:06

would tell you that when you have some sort of a bipolar disorder, that you should be on some sort of medication,

01:14

there are many others who say, well, that's not enough. And I happen to be one of those professionals who says, certainly, you should have talk therapy to discuss what it

01:24

feels like to have bipolar disorder, because it is a burden that people carry. But once they are in treatment, they actually do feel better.

01:33

We talk about palliative care, where you have your physician, who can sympathize and empathize

01:40

with what you are going through, and therefore will listen to you, and be that ear and shoulder that you need as far

01:47

as how difficult it is to having the bipolar disorder. And family therapy is also extremely important,

01:55

because someone with bipolar disorder, which is a very serious mental illness, certainly, there are issues within the family where

02:04

you want the family to be supportive, but they also need to be able to talk about what it's like to deal with that situation where people

02:12

need to be supportive for one another within the family system.