One of the greatest issues facing the United States is mental ill health. Due to a complex array of factors, the rates of mental illnesses are increasing nationwide, creating more burdens on individuals and their loved ones as they search for treatment.

A common type of mental illness is bipolar disorder, which affects 4.4% of all Americans at some point in their life. Fortunately, despite the tremendous pain this illness can cause, treatment for bipolar disorder is available, and most people seeking treatment can ultimately recover from this disease. At Mending Fences, we specialize in bipolar disorder treatment and can help you or a loved one get their life back.

 

Young female suffering from bipolar depression during individual therapy as part of the bipolar disorder treatment

 

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that alters someone’s ability to process emotions, manage energy levels, and function in society. Bipolar disorder may cause someone to swing rapidly between moods, often fluctuating between these moods and experiencing the related symptoms.

There are multiple types of bipolar disorders: Bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, and unspecified bipolar disorder. Someone with bipolar I disorder may experience symptoms of mania, while someone with bipolar II will experience less severe symptoms, known as hypomania. However, someone with bipolar I may not have depressive symptoms, while someone with bipolar II will experience a major depressive episode.

In a cyclothymic disorder, someone will suffer symptoms of mania and depression, but in each case, the symptoms are less severe than in bipolar I or bipolar II.

Occasionally, an individual will be diagnosed with an unspecified bipolar disorder, and someone experiences depression and mania but fails to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual definition for any of the above three claims.

What Are the Symptoms of A Bipolar Disorder?

The main symptom of bipolar disorder is switching between a depressive or manic episode. This means someone will experience symptoms of both depression and mania. However, there are many other symptoms, including:

  • Mania: Excessive energy, irritability, distractability, making poor social choices, or engaging in excessively risky behavior.
  • Depression: Loss of interest, pleasure, restlessness, loss of energy, and sleep disturbance.

In some cases, individuals can experience other psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations. However, psychotic symptoms are rarer than symptoms related to mania and depression.

You should not attempt to diagnose bipolar disorder in yourself or a loved one without consulting a psychiatrist or other mental health expert. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can exist due to various other physical or emotional concerns. As such, it is always best for you to seek mental health professionals when attempting to determine any diagnosis.

What Risk Factors Increase the Likelihood of a Bipolar Disorder?

Like all mental illnesses, a combination of social, family, and biological factors can increase the likelihood of suffering from bipolar disorder. These include:

  • Having a genetic relative with bipolar disorder. There is a noted genetic component between genetics and bipolar.
  • A history of drug abuse.
  • A period of high stress or trauma.

It is essential that any bipolar disorder treatment takes into account and addresses these risk factors. For example, if someone abuses recreational drugs, a specific treatment that concentrates on addiction may be needed alongside a specific bipolar disorder treatment program.

 

Young adult male in control of his bipolar disorder

 

How Can Mending Fences Help Me Or A Loved One Get Bipolar Disorder Treatment?

Fortunately, people with bipolar disorder can seek treatment that improves their health, allows them to manage a manic or depressive episode, and gets their lives back on track.

As a nationally recognized bipolar disorder treatment center with a wide range of mental health treatment options, we understand the pain and difficulty that bipolar disorder can bring. Our treatment center is located on 400 acres in Morriston, Florida, enabling us to offer a range of treatment options for people with bipolar disorder and create a personalized daily schedule of activities, support, and treatment for each client.

Treating bipolar disorder often requires a multi-faceted approach, and an individual’s treatment plan will generally include one or more of the following:

  • Medication management: Many types of medication, such as specific types of anti-depressants or mood stabilizers, can control bipolar symptoms and allow an individual to mitigate depressive episodes or manic periods. Medications prescribed should be monitored by a professional and later adjusted to reflect the need for maintenance treatment rather than managing acute symptoms.
  • Talk therapy: Certain types of talk therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Family-Focused Therapy, can help an individual manage bipolar symptoms, become more aware of their mood swings, and better recognize manic or depressive episodes. A properly trained mental health professional can walk a patient through this type of therapy, helping them to manage their mental health condition and potentially address related disorders.
  • Support groups: Support groups led by a trained professional can help create a supportive group environment in which individuals with bipolar talk to and learn from each other.
  • Recreational therapy: Some forms of recreational therapy, like art therapy or equine-assisted therapy, have been proven to benefit those struggling with bipolar disorder.

There is, of course, no “one set way” to treat bipolar disorder. Each patient has a different history of mental disorders, genetic conditions, or mood symptoms. Indeed, a therapy that may help one person recover may ultimately worsen mood symptoms in others. That’s why it is so important that you seek bipolar disorder treatment that is individualized, holistic, and customized to your specific needs.  At Mending Fences, our treatment plans focus on helping those suffering from bipolar disorder develop coping skills and self-management strategies.

For example, at Mending Fences, we offer a wide range of specialty treatment programs designed to meet the needs of specific populations, including our Help For Our Heros program, which addresses the unique challenges faced by First Responders.

Contact Us Today

If you or a loved one has bipolar disorder, it’s important to know there is a way forward, and help from the specialists at Transformations Mending Fences in Morriston, Florida, Contact us today to take the next step on your recovery journey.