Today, medical science has come a long way when it comes to bipolar disorder and it has meant that a lot more people have been able to lead fairly normal lives rather than being committed to asylums or facilities thinking that they had lost their mind. Today, there is no shame in suffering from bipolar disorder and it is like just another disease, condition or deficiency. While one is not really sure why the mind behaves in such a bizarre way, the fact that people have accepted that it can be treated and managed means we have come a long way.
Let’s take a look at the treatment options for bipolar disorder. In was only in the 1970s that finally medical research started opening the doors to treatment for this ailment. Till then, either people with these conditions were put away or they just ran away and were outcasts. Lithium carbonate was the first drug that was used in the treatment of this condition and the fact that it had a positive effect came as a relief to so many. This is a mood stabilizer drug that calms a person down and brings him down from the manic highs that bipolar disorder seems to incite. What it also does is to bring him up from the lows which very often result in depression and thoughts of suicide.
Today, doctors also prescribe anticonvulsants to ease a person’s mind and make it calmer. The patient will have to be under a doctor’s care because sometimes there can be repercussions and side effects. There are times when anti-depressants are used, which they are when necessary, when they could bring out manic moods and this defeats the purpose. So any drug will have to be monitored initially till the doctor can figure out which drug works best on the patient and how much of it he needs.
Antipsychotic drugs are also used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and these too have to be handled carefully because they come with the risk of side effects. There are newer antipsychotic drugs available today where the side effects have been minimized and these are being prescribed by doctors. However, any drug will be prescribed with caution and on a trial basis to see how the patient reacts to it.
Of course, all this must be combined with counseling and therapy so that the person can talk through his problems and feel better. It is a very mentally exhausting disease and there must be understanding and support at these sessions. In many cases, the family has to be prepared that treatment which combines drugs and therapy will have to be for life and it will be better if they learn to accept this. This is no easy thing to do so the people around too might benefit from counseling sessions and sessions on what to expect. Being with others who are going through the same ordeal helps as well in coping. Managing this condition is a combination of medication, counseling and a lot of love and caring.