In the mental health community, bipolar disorder may be one of the most misunderstood. Bipolar is just a matter of moodiness. It’s mostly mania. Or those energetic “high” moments are exciting and appealing. They’re all part of persistent misconceptions that downplay the seriousness of the condition.
The truth is that the effects of bipolar’s highs and lows can’t be overlooked or underestimated as it crafts periods of deep depression alongside impulsive manic moments, exhausting and draining the nervous system, disrupting relationships and taking away from the well-being you deserve.
There’s another fact that’s no myth. For bipolar disorder, supportive therapy exists — and is effective — in treating the vacillating emotional states that make living with bipolar such a debilitating condition. Taking up treatment for bipolar means taking the opportunity to care for yourself, or if you see the signs and symptoms in a loved one, so let’s take a look at the different types of therapies that make recovery from bipolar possible.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder that affects about 2.8% of the entire U.S. population, and 40 million globally, with 83% of those cases noted as severe, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
“Bi” and “polar” refer to the extreme, polar opposite symptoms that typify the condition, one reason it was formerly called manic depression. You may go through low, depressive periods punctuated by sadness, hopelessness and despondency, sometimes so intense that one is unable to get out of bed or take care of basic, everyday tasks. Bipolar’s depressive end closely resembles that of major depressive disorder, causing one to suffer through feelings of guilt or blaming themselves for losses or setbacks. In many cases, thoughts of death or suicide may dominate.
On the other end of bipolar disorder is mania. During a manic episode, you may have an elevated mood and feel energetic, happy, hopeful and excitable, even euphoric. You might wonder why this is bad, since these are generally positive traits in a normal context, so much that you might feel extra motivated, creative or inspired.
But with bipolar disorder mania, you might feel like you’re operating at superhuman levels — sleeping only a few hours but waking up full of energy, talking faster than people can follow, jumping between ideas, and feeling absolutely certain about plans that others see as unrealistic or risky that can cause harm physically, socially or even monetarily (like promiscuous sexual behavior, drug use, overspending or gambling or engaging in violent behavior).
The highs of a bipolar manic episode don’t subside easily and can lead to other distressing symptoms. “Moods can rapidly become more irritable, behavior more unpredictable and judgment more impaired,” says NAMI.
In some cases, a milder form of mania called hypomania enables people with bipolar to function normally at work or socially. But in more extreme examples, bipolar mania can lead to developing hallucinations, delusions or even psychosis (a break from reality), leading sufferers to sometimes be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.
Bipolar disorder tends to affect women more than men, and the average age of onset for people with bipolar is about 25, more uncommonly in one’s teens or adolescence. It’s not the same as borderline personality disorder, a Cluster B personality disorder defined by extreme emotional dysregulation and erratic behaviors.
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The Cleveland Clinic notes that there are four different types of diagnosable bipolar disorder, including:
Bipolar I Disorder
To be diagnosed with bipolar I, you’ll need to have experienced at least one manic episode in your life that lasts for at least seven days or longer or requires hospitalization. Depressive symptoms must persist for at least two weeks, but aren’t necessary for a diagnosis. Bipolar I is the most common form of bipolar disorder, seen with a relatively even mix of manic and depressive episodes.
Bipolar II Disorder
The difference between bipolar I and II disorders is the severity of mania. Those with bipolar II will experience depressive episodes and hypomanic periods to a much less prevalent degree than with bipolar I. To be diagnosed with bipolar II, you’ll need to have experienced at least one of each episode, but never have experienced a complete manic state before.
Cyclothymic Disorder
Cyclothymic disorder is a milder, but more chronic, form of bipolar disorder. You may endure numerous occasions of instability, including both hypomanic and mildly depressive symptoms lasting for at least two years, but never reaching the full criteria needed for mania, hypomania, or major depression. According to the Cleveland Clinic, you may have short periods of everyday mood lasting less than eight weeks.
A fourth version of bipolar disorder, known as unspecified bipolar disorder, may be diagnosed in some people who don’t meet the criteria for bipolar I, II, or cyclothymic disorders.
How Is Bipolar Disorder Treated?
To properly offer bipolar disorder supportive therapy, it needs to address, among other factors, the underlying causes. While researchers have still not confirmed its exact origin, a mix of genetics, environmental stressors, and your own neurological structure and functioning, either individually or in some combination, are factors that can develop bipolar disorder.
Your chances of developing bipolar disorder increase if you have a family history of it. Triggers like a single stressful, traumatic event, such as the loss of a loved one, a breakup, or money issues, can take a toll on the body and brain and trigger the development of the condition.
Since this means that bipolar disorder can manifest itself differently in each individual, even when they share common symptoms, bipolar disorder treatment needs to take into account these different nuances.
Initial Assessment for Bipolar Disorder
The first step upon entering treatment for bipolar disorder is an intake assessment. Here, you’ll meet with the therapist you’ll primarily work with to learn more about you. They’ll sit down with you and ask you a series of questions about you, your symptoms, your personal and family history, and any patterns you might have noticed.
For instance, have you noticed disturbances to your sleep routine, either sleeping too much or too little? Has your appetite been affected? Has your anxiety increased lately, and why? Do your manic times lean more toward conventional bipolar mania or hypomania? What’s the worst your depression has become?
This in-depth conversation can help your counselor make an accurate diagnosis, which is important for determining and outlining your treatment plan. This initial step is essential for understanding how bipolar disorder is showing up in your life and for ruling out other possible causes, but also for including other conditions that might cross over or overlap. A dual diagnosis, in this case, might mean one’s bipolar disorder exists at the same time as a substance use disorder or other mental health condition.
Individualized Treatment Plan for Bipolar Disorder
After completing the assessment, your clinical team clearly understands your symptoms. There are no cookie-cutter approaches in treatment — it’s here that your treatment plan is mapped out, tailored, and individualized for you.
Bipolar disorder supportive therapy might start in an inpatient setting for someone whose symptoms and condition require round-the-clock supervision and care. During inpatient, you’ll live onsite at the treatment facility in a safe space where you can commit your undivided, 24/7 focus to recovery.
For people whose conditions aren’t as clinically severe (or, if you’re segueing from inpatient), outpatient treatment enables you more flexibility and freedom to attend therapy during the day and return home each evening to attend to school, work, and family obligations.
The best part about an individualized plan is that it doesn’t need to remain static; it can change alongside your needs, perennially evolving. You may start with a mix of individual and group therapy, but your counselor may increase the latter in your schedule if you respond well to opening up among other peers in recovery.
Likewise, if medication is ever needed during treatment alongside talk therapy, you’ll be referred to a psychiatrist to keep your prescriptions and dosage appropriate and on track.
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Speak With Our Admissions TeamSupportive Therapies for Bipolar Disorder at a Mental Health Center
“Psychotherapy can be a crucial part of managing bipolar disorder and is an important component of evidence-based outpatient treatment for this highly impairing chronic condition,” states a 2023 study.
A mix of evidence-based psychotherapy — meaning it’s been proven effective time and again in clinical circles — and alternative approaches help manage and treat the full spectrum of bipolar disorders.
Psychotherapy for Bipolar Disorder
Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, is a fundamental part of mental health treatment. Many people have nowhere to turn, nobody to talk to, suffering in silence with an untreated disorder. Psychotherapy (short for psychological therapy) is the traditional method you may be familiar with — you’ll sit face-to-face with a counselor or psychologist in a quiet, low-pressure setting to talk through your issues.
Your therapist is interested in learning everything about you and how your issues affect your life. It’s an exploratory, conversational process that allows you both to make inroads, breakthroughs and potential solutions into overcoming bipolar disorder. They’ll enlighten you to new perspectives on addressing bipolar disorder and encourage you to challenge yourself to embrace change. Though the process can take multiple sessions, take heart that patience pays off in therapy.
One popular, trusted behavioral therapy is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. CBT is a type of talk therapy that seeks to make a link between your cognition (your thoughts) and your behavior (your actions), and how what you think affects how you feel and, in turn, how you behave. The goal of CBT is to interrupt the habitual negative thought processes that may dominate, for instance, depressive stages of bipolar disorder, and reframe/replace them with a more positive, proactive mental narrative.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy, or DBT, is a type of talk therapy relied on to help treat people who have trouble managing and regulating their emotions.
It’s a type of bipolar disorder. Supportive therapy is especially beneficial if you experience strong emotional swings or have difficulty managing distress during mood episodes, since, like CBT, it emphasizes being mindful of the connection between your thoughts and behaviors. With DBT therapy, you’ll work on accepting the reality of your current feelings, even those depressive ones you may feel on one end of bipolar disorder, and find new ways to respond to them with new, more positive behaviors.
Studies have shown that DBT is proven effective in decreasing the intensity of both mania and depression in bipolar disorder. “Short-term psychotherapy such as DBT can be helpful in the regulation of emotions, mindfulness, relationships, and emotional control,” notes a recent study. “DBT skills can significantly reduce the severity of mania and patients’ depressed mood.”
Holistic Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
The word “holistic” means “whole,” and that’s exactly what holistic treatment is about. Meant to exist alongside talk therapy, holistic therapy considers you as a complete person — and how recovery from bipolar disorder means self-growth through your mind, body and spirit.
Here’s what a holistic bipolar disorder supportive therapy plan might include:
- Mindfulness meditation helps you still the mind and observe thoughts and emotions as they arise, without judgment and without getting swept away by them, remaining centered and calm.
- Yoga combines movement and breathing to calm your thoughts and build physical resilience. As you hold each posture, concentrate on the mind-body connection you’re harnessing in the moment. Exhale and move onto the next pose, shedding negative energy and feeling renewed.
- Sound healing incorporates music and vibratory energy, whether it’s from musical instruments or meditative implements like sound bowls, gongs or tuning forks, to help release tension and bring you to a place of peace when bipolar disorder leaves you feeling up and down but never centered.
- Expressive arts therapy enables you to put pen to paper or brush to canvas and express how you’re feeling — no matter how abstract or concrete — when words may be difficult to express during psychotherapy.
Professional Help for Bipolar Disorder Near Me
Even at its mildest, bipolar disorder can be like riding a rollercoaster of unpredictable highs and lows that can be difficult to manage on your own and disrupt the stability in your life, work, and relationships that matter most.
Seeking professional bipolar disorder supportive therapy can make all the difference, a sign of strength that you don’t need to resign yourself to living with bipolar disorder. Our treatment facilities offer the full continuum of compassionate care we’ve touched on in this article, each one designed to meet you where you are.
If you’re looking for help or want to inquire about bipolar disorder treatment for someone else, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us today. We’re on hand, 24/7, 365 days a year.
- https://www.nami.org/bipolar-and-related-disorders/myths-and-facts-of-bipolar-disorder/
- https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-conditions/bipolar-disorder/
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/bipolar-disorder
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9294-bipolar-disorder
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10198128/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22838-dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6796294/
