How to deal with bipolar disorder?

Tips for support and coping with the condition

There are over 60 million people in the world who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and quite possibly more due to inaccurate diagnosis.

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with the condition, your first step should be educating yourself on all there is to know about it in terms of what to expect, warning signs to look for as well as support and coping techniques.

There are a number of resources and behavioural therapies available, with more and more surfacing daily. It is important to know that bipolar disorder is a commonly diagnosed condition and doctors are constantly providing new medication and therapy techniques to help sufferers in dealing with it. If after reading this article, you think you or a loved one may have the disorder, then you should seek immediate professional advice. Once you learn more about it, are correctly medicated and attend therapy sessions, you will start to note a significant difference in the symptoms and side effects of the condition.

When someone is bipolar their episodes of mania or hypomania are often good enough to rule out the episodes of depression, otherwise known as the ‘lows’. There may be days when the person gets in their car and drives to the beach or a theme park or takes friends on a shopping spree. These are then often followed by feelings of self-doubt or hopelessness, it is on these ‘down days’ that someone may want to take their own life.

Everyone experiences bipolar differently. There is no telling how long the episodes will last, it could be a day or a month. However, these bouts of emotional ups and downs are likely to form patterns with certain triggers – when these triggers can be identified, it makes the condition easier to treat and deal with. If you are at all unsure as to whether the condition is present or not in either yourself or a loved one, it is best to immediately seek professional help.

When consulting with a doctor, a person will need to be as open and honest as possible in order for him/her to provide a diagnosis that is as accurate as possible. This will ensure the best possible outcome from treatment.

Whether you or a loved one is suffering from bipolar disorder, you are not alone in dealing with this, remember to keep learning all that you can in order to provide support, identify triggers and learn to cope with this condition.