Bipolar disorder causes many fluctuations in one’s mood from excitement to despondency. It can be exhausting to continually travel back and forth between the two states. One moment you are flying high and then in the next moment you are plummeting to the bottom. It makes it difficult to maintain your equilibrium when you don’t know which way you will be feeling. Treatment options include medication and psychotherapy to get your mood swings under control and teach you coping techniques to maintain your equilibrium. A bipolar disorder treatment center is a good option to tackle this problem with the help of professional therapists.
In therapy sessions, you will learn to recognize the signs when you are slipping back into a manic state or avoiding it by putting into practice the techniques and therapies you have learned. How the medicine affects you is something beyond your control at times, whether making you feel better or worse, but how you approach psychotherapy can be a big help in your recovery.
What to Expect from a Bipolar Disorder Treatment Program in California
Your treatment program will be a combination of the following modalities.
- Medication-assisted therapy to alleviate symptoms associated with depression and mania. The regimen involves taking mood stabilizers daily on a long-term basis
- Taking medication when the main symptoms of depression and mania rear their ugly heads
- Psychotherapy counseling sessions to combat depression and rearrange your thinking in how you view and approach relationships
- Learning to identify the triggers of depression and mania and how to control these episodes
- Receiving advice on diet, exercise, and good sleeping habits
Medications to Treat Bipolar Disorder (Mood Stabilizers)
The following mood stabilizers have been proven to be effective in treating bipolar disorder.
Lithium
It is not known how lithium works, only that it works on the central nervous system and has an effect on mood to control your emotions.
Antipsychotic Medicines
- Aripiprazole
- Olanzapine
- Quetiapine
- Risperidone
Anticonvulsant Medicines
- Carbamazepine
- Lamotrigine
- Valproate
How Psychotherapy Is Effective in Treating Bipolar Disorder Treatment in Los Angeles
Psychotherapy is another method to treat bipolar disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective of these therapeutic methods. There are times when your emotions may get the better of you but it is important to stick with the therapy regimen. The benefits of CBT are as follows:
- Regulate chronic pain
- Deal with emotional trauma
- Learn coping skills
- Regulate symptoms of mental illness
- To treat a mental illness in lieu of medication
- Improving your ability to communicate effectively
- To better cope with grief and loss
- How to cope with a mental illness
- To prevent any mental illness relapses
- How to cope with stressful situations
Reach Out to Virtues Behavioral Health Today
Bipolar disorder can make you feel like you have no control over your life. You are up one minute and down the next. The highs are so high that you feel like you are never going to come down and when you do come down it is usually in the form of a crash which makes you question your sanity and even your will to live. It is a constant struggle and one that cannot be won without medication-assisted treatment and psychotherapy. There are a number of medications including but not limited to lithium, which is the most effective proven medication to treat bipolar disorder.
At Virtues Behavioral Health in Los Angeles, California we provide comfortable private therapy spaces, lounge areas with games, modern group session rooms, and coffee, tea, and refreshments. We are located in West Los Angeles and provide a warm and welcoming space to attend to your recovery and rejuvenation. We can be reached online or at 855.579.8599 for you to take the first step on your journey to wellness and recovery.
