While medication remains the bedrock treatment for bipolar disorder, a few different types of psychotherapy have been modified especially for people with this condition. The therapies that have been tested include helping patients work on family coping and relationships; learn to understand and reorder their own distorted thinking; and develop strategies for managing mood swings.
The best therapy programs include these four common features.
- Providing a solid structure for each day
- Avoiding overstimulation and getting enough sleep
- Resolving any family conflicts that contribute to symptoms
- Learning to recognize the warning signs of manic and depressive episodes
While she was in college, Laurel Lemke, now 54, of Lakewood, Wash., was hospitalized for the first time, for six weeks. "During my first mania, I thought I had ESP, because my mind was putting connections between things in a way that made me think I had special abilities," she says. She doesn't know the diagnosis that was made because no one told her then. "At that time doctors didn't share their diagnoses with patients."
Lead writer: Mary Pinkowish
Last Updated: April 20, 2008
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