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Bipolar Disorder - Other Treatment
- Topic Overview
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- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
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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.
Other Treatment Choices
Types of counseling used to treat bipolar disorder include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy, 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 be an obstacle to recovery.
- Interpersonal therapy, which focuses on social and personal relationships and related problems by discussing grief and loss, role disputes in relationships, and relationship transitions.
- Problem solving, a brief, focused form of cognitive therapy used to treat depression. It focuses on specific problems and how you can solve them.
- Family therapy, 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.
In some cases, 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.
Complementary therapy
Omega-3 fatty acids have been getting some attention as a possible complementary treatment for bipolar disorder. But more research is needed to prove the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in treating this condition.1, 10
What To Think About
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 episode. Getting early treatment can reduce the length of the mood episode.
Bipolar disorder also affects family members. They need to understand the disorder and how to help you cope.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: May 4, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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