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HomeMental HealthBipolarBest Therapy For Bipolar Disorder

12 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team
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Bipolar disorder is a disorder that is exacerbated by stress. Major life events, significant family disputes, difficult relationships, and situations that disturb sleep/wake patterns can all provoke depression and mania episodes. This is why it is detrimental or at least ineffective when treatment is framed primarily in terms of pharmacological interventions. Those with this disorder would function best when they have frequent (weekly or fortnightly) bipolar disorder psychotherapy appointments and at the same time receive medication treatment from a psychiatrist.

Psychological treatment for bipolar disorder can assist a person in coping with the stress caused by these external circumstances, as well as managing symptoms and improving relationships. Several types of therapy have been demonstrated to be beneficial in the treatment of the bipolar disorder.

According to research, individuals who take bipolar disorder drugs and simultaneously receive therapy are more likely to improve faster and stay well. Therapy can help you deal with the concerns that your symptoms are causing, such as relationship, career, and self-esteem issues. Any additional issues you’re dealing with, like anxiety or substance abuse, will be addressed in therapy.

A complete treatment strategy for bipolar disorder tries to alleviate symptoms, restore function, address challenges caused by the disease at work and at home, and limit the risk of recurrence.

The following are included in a thorough bipolar treatment therapy plan:

Medication. The foundation of bipolar illness treatment is medication. Taking a mood stabilizer can help keep symptoms at bay and reduce the ups and downs of bipolar illness.

Psychotherapy. The mental burden and other difficulties it has brought into your life require behavioral therapy for bipolar disorder to be addressed. You can learn to cope with challenging or unpleasant feelings, mend relationships, deal with stress, and control your mood by working with a bipolar disorder therapist.

Education. Managing symptoms and avoiding complications starts with a detailed understanding of your condition. The further you and your dear ones understand the bipolar illness, the best prepared you and your dear ones will be to avoid issues and overcome adversity.

Management of one’s way of life. You can reduce symptoms and mood episodes to a minimum by carefully controlling your lifestyle. This entails sticking to a normal sleep pattern, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, having a mood-boosting meal, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and ensuring constant sunlight exposure year-round.

Support. Dealing with bipolar disorder can be difficult. Having a strong support system and bipolar disorder supportive therapy can make a huge difference in your attitude and motivation. Joining a bipolar disorder support network allows you to share your stories and learn from others who understand what you are going through. Friendship and family support are also quite vital. Reaching out to those who care about you will not make you a liability to others.

What causes bipolar disorder’s highs and lows? Bipolar mood swings are influenced by your thoughts, according to a study published in the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice in January 2015. Overwhelmingly negative thoughts can lead to “descent behaviors” (like distancing from friends) linked to depression, while too happy thoughts can lead to “ascent behaviors” (like risk-taking) consistent with mania, according to the study.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be a strategy to bring these extremes closer together. Cognitive-behavioral therapy takes advantage of the reality that our ideas, behaviors, and emotions are all linked and can affect one another. It is one of the most effective treatments for bipolar disorder.

CBT trains you how to recognize and fix problematic behavioral patterns as well as catch, confront, and modify incorrect thinking. Consider the following scenario: your employer sends you an email asking to speak with you about your most recent project. A negative emotional reaction, like concluding that she despises your performance and that you’ll be fired, can set you on the route to sadness. CBT trains you to deal with different situations with calmer thinking, like your employer asking you a few questions about your performance, which helps to keep your mood consistent. After receiving CBT, people frequently feel better emotionally and have a higher quality of life.

According to a study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry in January 2015, adding CBT to bipolar illness treatment is beneficial. Researchers studied two groups of persons who had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the study. 

Standard treatment was given to one group, which also included medication and assistance from community organizations, a psychiatrist, or a normal doctor. Standard therapy and CBT were given to the other group. The researchers discovered that those who received CBT had a greater, longer-lasting recovery than those who did not.

Bipolar Disorder CBT Techniques

CBT offers a number of critical skills that address the most common ways that bipolar disorder impacts you. These are some of them:

1. Accepting your diagnosis is the first step. The first step is to recognize and realize that you have a problem that is causing your symptoms. People with bipolar disorder often find this difficult to accept, therefore educating the signs and symptoms, causes, and duration of the disorder is critical. It encourages people to accept help while simultaneously reassuring them that they are not alone.

2. Keep an eye on your mood. This is frequently accomplished through the use of a worksheet or notebook, which is kept on a regular basis between appointments and then discussed with your therapist. Individuals are told to score their mood on a 0-to-10 scale daily, with 0 indicating “depressed,” 5 indicating “feeling OK,” and 10 indicating “very irritated or heightened mood.” The goal is to become more conscious of mood triggers and shifts.

3. Going through a cognitive reorganization. This method teaches you how to become more conscious of the role emotions and thoughts play in your mood, how to recognize troublesome thoughts, and how to alter or rectify them. The therapist instructs the patient on how to examine his or her thoughts for distortions, like all-or-nothing thinking, and how to generate more balanced thinking.

4. Consistent problem-solving. This level entails learning how to recognize a problem, produce prospective solutions, choose a solution, try it out, and assess the results. Problem-solving is usually taught in therapy and then practiced in between sessions. Relationship problems, unemployment, and credit card debt are all examples of problems. If you don’t deal with these pressures, you’ll be more likely to lapse.

5. Improving your social abilities. Some persons with the bipolar disease lack essential social skills, making them feel powerless over certain elements of their lives. Assertiveness, for example, can help you better handle interpersonal relationships.

6. Creating a routine that works for you. Participating in activities on a consistent and predictable schedule gives your day a rhythm, which helps to keep your mood stable. Exercising in the early afternoon, sticking to a steady sleep and mealtime schedules, establishing social plans, and accomplishing household tasks are just a few examples.

IPSRT is a technique for improving treatment adherence, managing stressful life events, and reducing disturbances in social rhythms for people with mood disorders. Patients who receive this type of therapy learn strategies that can help them safeguard themselves from future occurrences. The major goal of IPSRT is to manage the patient’s symptoms and improve their interpersonal relationships.

Two significant clinical investigations have confirmed the efficacy of IPSRT in the management of bipolar mood episodes. It can be beneficial in avoiding social interruptions. The phrase “disruption in social rhythm” sounds elegant, but it simply refers to any disturbance in our typical daily patterns, like the time we get up, eat our meals, and go to bed.

It aids those suffering from bipolar disorder in recognizing what worsens and triggers their illness.

He claims that people with bipolar disorder may have trouble sleeping and that this lack of sleep can lead to mania. “Interpersonal and social rhythm treatment is a type of behavioral therapy that is used to address social circadian rhythm disruption. It teaches people how to protect themselves from other triggers. IPSRT, for example, teaches sleep management techniques.

IPSRT can assist a person in developing coping abilities. The individual learns to control conflict and thereby avoids a manic episode that can cause a great deal of harm.

As per the American Psychological Association, this can also help those with bipolar disorder. Both patients and family members are taught effective communication skills and how to spot the warning signals of either a manic or depressed episode. A family member can assist in recognizing when an individual with bipolar disorder is about to enter a new episode. Because family members can detect when a patient isn’t taking his or her prescription, it’s vital that they be involved.

Unfortunately, many bipolar illness patients fail to include their families in their treatment plans.  When the client is doing well, including the family in therapy. This works even better than when you’re having a relapse.

Psychoeducation is an important part of family-focused treatment. This includes informing individuals about the sickness, the therapies available, and the dangers of not taking medications as prescribed.

Family-focused therapy is beneficial since it can often assist a patient in regaining contact with their family. Often, when a patient recovers from a manic episode, he or she will downplay or forget how horrible things were. What transpired could have been traumatic for the family. This type of therapy can assist a family gets through this by highlighting the patient’s right behavior.

The majority of people with bipolar disorder will require antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing medication. As per the American Psychological Association, psychosocial interventions may be provided to improve the individual’s functioning.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a skill-based technique that can be used in both group and individual settings. It promotes acceptance skills and mindfulness, like the ability to observe and experience moment-to-moment emotions, feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations without making negative judgments. Distress tolerance, mood management, and social competence are also taught.

People with BD gather in groups (mostly with members of the family) and are directed by a leader (either a skilled peer mental health counselor or a psychologist). Some organizations are very organized and adhere to a set of educational and skill-building goals. Those are focused on sharing one’s story and receiving support and advice from others who have been in similar situations. People benefit from these groups, such as those offered by NAMI and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, since they alleviate feelings of isolation that typically accompany mental illness.

Over time, the precise form of treatment may become less significant than the consistency of having a psychotherapist or a group that gets to know you and helps you feel comfortable sharing critical difficulties. Support from mental health specialists who understand your path, in addition to drugs, is critical to a successful treatment regimen and recovery.

Consider practicing the following list of things if you have bipolar disorder and want to engage in activities that will help you manage manic and depressed periods.

These exercises feature everything you’ll need to find the right balance to keep your emotions and moods in check.

1. Develop And Work On A Consistent Routine

Creating a good daily routine can assist to regulate moods and provide order and tranquility to your life. A rigorous regimen should contain the increased time that promotes a consistent daily and nighttime pattern. Regular mealtimes, physical fitness, holistic activities, sleep times, therapy sessions, and prescription intake reminders should all be included (if required).

2. Back-up Plan

A person with bipolar disorder can benefit from family-focused treatment. Sharing concerns and what to predict with trusted people can help you keep your relationships healthy while also enhancing stability, trust, and openness. Support systems may also aid in the monitoring of dangerous or irresponsible behavior. Seeking help before entering a manic or depressed phase, whether through a treatment facility, support network, friends or therapist could save your life.

3. Physical Fitness

Setting up a physical fitness regimen can assist to reduce stress, stabilize mood, and enhance overall health and wellbeing. Exercise may help with symptoms during the start of low, depressed periods of bipolar illness because it helps with depression.

4. Sleep/Relaxation

People with bipolar disorder who are in the most severe stages may experience insomnia or sleep disturbances.

This is problematic because sleeplessness has been shown to interfere with good routines such as completing daily duties. Persistent sleeplessness has been shown to “precipitate mania (Malkoff-Schwartz et al., 1998), while life stress in the form of stressful life events can precipitate depression (Malkoff-Schwartz et al., 2000).” Finding holistic ways to eliminate sleep interruptions, such as attending sleep clinics or avoiding sugar and caffeine, may be beneficial.

5. Counseling / Psychotherapy

Individuals with bipolar disorder may benefit from a variety of therapy approaches. However, cognitive-behavioral therapy, when combined with medicine, maybe an excellent type of treatment. Bipolar disorder is impacted in part by a person’s thoughts. Extremely unpleasant emotions might lead to self-destructive behaviors such as isolation and suicidal thoughts (the most serious bipolar disorder symptoms).

Manic episodes can be triggered by rising behaviors such as impulsivity and fast speech. Cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches, when used in conjunction with other therapies, can assist to restore emotional balance and stability.

6. Eco-therapy

Eco-therapy can help with the most severe bipolar symptoms, such as sluggishness, irritability, tension, and mood and speech instability. Hiking, gardening, camping, outdoor yoga, and strolling are all activities that can help with mood control and stress reduction. Ecotherapy exercises can also assist to alleviate depression symptoms. About 90 percent of people suffering from depression reported a higher sense of self-esteem after a walk around a country park, and almost three-quarters felt less depressed, according to a study from the University of Essex.

7. Meditation

Meditation and mindfulness training are strategies that help the mind to relax and focus. People may be able to try to calm various parts of their behavior by using breathing, posture, relaxation, and position. While meditation alone will not cure severe bipolar illness symptoms, it can help. Meditation can help people become more aware of the strength of their feelings and give them away to dissociate from them.

8. Relaxed atmosphere

Bipolar disorder is caused by a variety of factors, including stress. Life stress is key in bringing on the initial bipolar episodes, as per the National Center for Biotechnology Information. As a result, keeping a quiet lifestyle and residing in a peaceful atmosphere is critical. While stressful or traumatic life events cannot be predicted, people can seek help from medical or mental health professionals to manage manic or depressed episodes.

9. Prescription drugs

As it is linked to bipolar disorder, lithium carbonate is one of the most commonly given medicines for lengthy periods of mania and depression. Patients must, however, follow their physician’s and treatment center’s instructions when taking the drug. If symptoms are on the more severe end of the spectrum, doctors may give anti-psychotics and anti-convulsants (olanzapine, aripiprazole, and risperidone).

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