Bipolar Disorder:

Alternative Therapies

Meshack Samia

Bipolar disoder

Bipolar is a mood disorder:

It is characterized by shifts in a patients
energy, mood and activities.

Bipolar disorder

It is a major cause of impaired quality of

life, reduced productivity and depression.

If not treated or managed well, it can lead

to increased episodes of mania and
depression

Symptoms
Manic phase
Euphoria
Inflated self-esteem
Poor judgment

Symptoms
Depressive phase
Sadness
Hopelessness
Suicidal thoughts
Anxiety

Treatment

Medication
Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Lifestyle management
Family Support

medication
Mood stabilizers: Lithium
Anticonvulsants: Lamictal, Depakote
Antipyschotics: Abilify, Zypexa, Risperdal
Antidepressants:
Benzodiazepines: ativan, xanax, Valium

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the education offered to

patients with mental health condition and
their families to help empower them deal
with their condition in an optimal way.

Psychotherapy

Patients regard psychotherapy as an ideal

place that they can talk freely about how
their bipolar illness is impacting their life as
well as their families.

Psychotherapy
The main goals of psychoeducation are
the enhancement of adherence,
the improvement of illness management
skills, such as early recognition of episode
recurrence and development of strategies
for effective coping with symptoms, and
the improvement of social and occupational
function and quality of life

Cognitive Behavioral
therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy involves patients

working with therapist to learn methods they can
use to be aware and examine way of thinking
about their illness.

CBT

This therapy also helps deal with depressive

tendencies and feelings of low esteem by
bipolar patients especially during the manic
period

CBT
Patients are encouraged to make changes in
their lives, keep themselves busy and work
on their daily routines so that they avoid
negative thoughts. When the patient think
more realistically, they feel better.
Therefore the central role of cognitive
behavioral therapy is solving problems and
initiating behavioral change.

Conclusions

Although pharmacotherapy is the main

method of treatment for bipolar disorder, the
combination of evidence-based psychological
interventions and drug treatment enhances
overall effectiveness, mostly by further
protecting patients from relapse or
recurrence. Psychotherapy and cognitive
behavioral therapy are also cost-effective in
managing of bipolar disorder symptoms.
They are cheaper to administer through
sessions and workshops

References

References
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Feeny, N., Danielson, C., Schwartz, L., Youngstrom, E., & Findling, R. (2006).
Cognitive- behavioral therapy for bipolar disorders in adolescents: a pilot study.
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Patelis-Siotis, I. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy: applications for management

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