Bipolar Treatments
No Silver Bullet In Bipolar Treatments
A discussion of bipolar treatments needs to be prefaced with the fact, that there is at present no known cure. A course of treatment can therefore not be expected to lead to a cure, or to complete recovery. Bipolar disorder symptoms, while at times appearing to be quite straightforward, often require a rather complicated approach in their treatment.
Successful bipolar treatments will manage the illness, and its symptoms, rather than cure the disease, or totally eliminate the symptoms. There are several challenges involved in initiating a course of treatment. For one thing, while children are less apt to contract the disease than are adults, when they do, it can be difficult to diagnose. Young children in particular may exhibit behavior that, while at times extreme, such as temper tantrums, may not really appear to be particularly abnormal.
Adults may have a very mild case of the illness, having the mood swings and showing the symptoms, but not to any great extreme. The person involved is apt to deny having the illness, sometimes in the belief that the illness is not present, other times as a defensive posture. In either case, before treatment can be initiated, presence of the disease must be recognized.
Bipolar disorder is a long term disease, requiring a course of continuous treatment. Once diagnosed as having the disease, the patient needs to realize that it is a life-long condition. The type of treatment will depend upon the severity and frequency of manic and depressive behavior, episodes, and cycles.
Treatment is directed towards preventing occurrences of mood swings, and when that is not possible, managing the severity of those swings. The course of treatment can become rather complicated, and requires the cooperation of the patient if there is to be real hope of success. Quite often, the day to day behavior of the patient, at least in terms of the presence or absence of mood swings, is documented. This helps the doctor adjust treatment accordingly as conditions change.
Treatment may be medicinal or therapeutic, often a combination of both. Medicines are often used to stabilize behavior. Therapy is more often used in milder cases, and when successful, can help prevent the onset of mood swings, or help the patient in recognizing and dealing with such swings.
Lithium has proven to be a very effective medication. Lithium was initially used to stabilize bouts of mania, but has been proven to control, and at times prevent, depressive episodes as well. Lithium is the most common medication used in the treatment of children.
Valproate is an anticonvulsant medication used to control extreme bipolar episodes, and works well in combination with lithium as a stabilizing agent. There are a number of other stabilizing medications in use, often in combination with anti-depressants. One of the problems faced, when using a combination of drugs or medicines, is the necessity to constantly adjust dosages, as a patient's condition may change, at times suddenly.
To complicate matters still further, bipolar disorders often go hand in hand with thyroid disorders. This is not surprising, in that an abnormal thyroid condition can affect one's moods. Medication prescribed for bipolar treatments can at times cause lower than desirable thyroid levels, necessitating the taking of thyroid pills, as part of the overall treatment.
Bipolar treatments need not be as extreme, as in the case with "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". In cases of extreme mood swings, where a person may become a danger to himself or others, electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) is often in order. ECT is usually very effective in dealing with the most extreme episodes. ECT is often used in cases where, for whatever reason, the use of medication is risky.
There are several herbal supplements which have been tried in treating bipolar symptoms. Some of these have shown promise, but for the most part the effectiveness of herbal medication has yet to be proven. All in all, when one is diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, today's courses of treatment are generally quite successful in keeping the disease under control.