Tips For Improving the Quality of Life in Patients Living With Bipolar Disorder
Helping You Achieve Better Health
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness that causes extreme mood shifts and changes within the brain. It is known to cause periods of high energy and low levels of optimism. This mental illness is characterized by mood swings and unusual sleep patterns. Patients suffering from bipolar disorder periodically deal with severe mood shifts and changes in behavior.
Types of Bipolar Disorder
There are three main types of bipolar disorder and they are characterized by the levels of high and low energy a patient experiences. The significant distinctions between bipolar types is how extreme the emotional episodes are and how long they last.
Bipolar I
This is a manic episode where patients experience exceptionally high maniac states to extreme depression states. A manic episode is when a patient has high energy levels (highly-spirited or optimistic) or extremely low energy levels (irritable or depressed) for at least one week.
Bipolar II
Bipolar II can be defined as periodical mood swings where patients experience high to low energy levels. The high energy levels are less extreme in bipolar II, and are called hypomanic states. Hypomanic states often occur for only four days in a row and it is often characterized by less extreme manic states. The depressive episodes, however, may be just as severe as those in Bipolar I disorder
Cyclothymic Turmoil
Extreme mood swings (both highs and lows) that are not as long, severe, or frequent as those experienced in bipolar I or II disorder.
Here are tips to improving the lives of patients living with bipolar disorder.
Encourage Them To Go For Therapy
People suffering from bipolar disorder need professional help and care. Therapy is recognized as one of the best ways to significantly improve the health of a bipolar patient. It is encouraged to help patients become better at adapting to situations.
Therapy also helps with how patients think and act. It’s a great way to help patients improve their daily interaction and productivity. The Wellsource Group has helped numerous patients attain good health through therapy and medications.
Encourage Them To Take Bipolar Medication
Bipolar medication is highly essential to the treatment of bipolar patients. Taking bipolar medication prescribed by a professional can help prevent or minimize the risk of a manic or depressive episode happening to you. It also helps in reducing the overall intensity of bipolar episodes if and when they do happen.
Combining medication with therapy has been proven to be quite effective. Some common bipolar medications include mood stabilizers, antidepressants, anxiety medications, and antipschotics. Note that you and your physician may need to work through different bipolar medications to find the right one for you. But once you find the ideal bipolar medication, you’ll be able to tell the difference.
Avoid Being Around Triggers
Patients are often encouraged to monitor their moods and symptoms. Paying close attention to the events and happenings in your environment will help you deduce the elements that trigger your bipolar episodes. Take note of how you feel and observe how you get triggered, then try to avoid events that can lead to an episode.
In addition, patients are advised to never be isolated. Having a solid socially and emotionally supportive network is essential to help you figure out how to manage being bipolar. You should make sure you have people you can connect and converse with. Doing this will help minimize the chances of you having an episode.
Encourage them to find coping strategies that work
Although not all coping strategies are created equally, experimenting with different methods will help you determine which ones work for you. When dealing with bipolar disorder, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid stress as much as possible.
There are various ways to manage stress and remain mentally and physically healthy. Patients are often assisted by their therapist to discover possible coping strategies to help in dealing with this disorder.
Patients dealing with bipolar disorder should not be treated differently. While it’s important to be mindful of how they react to things, it’s also important to understand and make them feel at ease. Once they are in an environment they can resonate with, they tend to be open and more acclimated to forget their fears.
We encourage you to book an appointment with the Wellsource Group today. Our certified experts work with patients in Cypress and Kingwood, TX, and surrounding communities. We help people dealing with bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental issues find the right medication and treatment for their mental health. Contact us today. Let us work with you to find the ideal bipolar medication, treatment, and coping strategy for you.
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