The Most Effective Therapies for Treating Bipolar Disorder

You’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or maybe your loved one has. And you’re wondering, what’s the best treatment? What actually works? What the heck do I do? Because bipolar disorder is a chronic, complex condition, managing it can feel overwhelming and downright confusing. But thankfully there are effective, research-based treatments that really work. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. However, the best way to treat bipolar disorder is with a comprehensive approach, which includes “ongoing psychosocial interventions to help maintain health and to respond to breakthrough symptoms when they occur,” according to Candida Fink, MD, a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist with a private practice in Westchester, N.Y. She noted that bipolar disorder is often thought of as a “kind of monolithic entity.” But “bipolar disorder comes in a range of severity and symptom patterns. Different people will respond to different treatments—both medical and psychosocial.” Finding the right treatment for each person takes time, consistent effort, and good communication with their treatment team, said Dr. Fink, co-author of several books on bipolar disorder. (This treatment team typically consists of a psychiatrist and a therapist.) But again, the great news is that successful treatments are available. Alisha L. Brosse, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and director of the Robert D. Sutherland Center for the Evaluation & Treatment of Bipolar...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Bipolar Disorders General Psychotherapy Self-Help Treatment Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder treatment Cbt IPSRT managing bipolar disorder opposite action Source Type: news