James Donaldson on Mental Health - Bipolar Disorder: Why It’s Often Misdiagnosed

Treatmen t While medication has for many years been the first-line treatment for bipolar disorder, over the last several decades specialized forms of psychotherapy have been developed to work alongside medication.

Research shows that the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder combines medication and psychotherapy.

Medication: The go-to treatment for bipolar disorder is usually a group of medications called mood stabilizers, including lithium and some drugs called anticonvulsants.

Mood stabilizers are generally effective at treating manic symptoms and lowering the frequency and severity of both manic and depressive episodes.

But the depression is tougher to treat than the mania, and antidepressants are sometimes added to treat bipolar depression.

Given alone, antidepressants can trigger manic symptoms, so they need to be prescribed with great care.

Atypical antipsychotics are also used, especially in adolescents, Dr.

While mood stabilizers are very effective in adults, she says, in adolescents an a typical anti psychotic is often more effective.

Many people with bipolar disorder take more than one medication and the drugs can have complex interactions, leading to significant side effects if they are not effectively monitored by an experienced clinician.

Therapy: Several forms of psychotherapy adapted for bipolar disorder have been shown to speed recovery from an acute episode of mania or depression, delay recurring episodes, decrease suicide attempts, and increase medication adherence.