Bipolar Therapy

Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder characterized by fluctuation in moods that impact different areas of life. According to the National Alliance For Mentally Ill, approximately 7 million people in the United States are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Often times, people seek treatment after the symptoms adversely impact their functioning. The good news is there are effective treatments for those with Bipolar Disorder. At Associates in Psychotherapy, our team of therapists are trained to assess and treat this condition. Our team also recognizes that coordination of care in importance with this mood disorder and we help connect our clients with reputable and trustworthy colleagues for medications, outpatient programming if higher level of care is warranted, and community support.

Common symptoms associated with Bipolar Disorder:

• Manic or hypomanic episodes
• High energy or euphoria
• Reduced need for sleep
• Loss of touch with reality
• Racing thoughts
• Impulsivity
• Inflated sense of self
• Depressive episodes
• Low energy
• Low motivation
• Loss of interest in daily activities
• Suicidal thoughts

While Bipolar Disorder may have serious effects on your life, there are evidenced based treatments to help you recover from the unpredictable mood patterns and behavior from this disorder.  Research shows that effective treatment may entail a combination of medication and counseling  by a trained mental health professional.

How therapy can help:

Research shows that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the Gold Standards for effectively treating Bipolar disorder.  Cognitive Behavior therapy aims to help you understand, manage, and modify thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors.  Our therapists utilize CBT to help clients learn to identify distorted negative thoughts through a different lens which then enables clients to change their feelings and reactions to certain situations.  Psychotherapy can also help you learn more productive ways to deal with problems, conflicts, and stress.  Psychoeducation, is also useful to help you navigate through any symptoms associated with Bipolar disorder.  Our team also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) when working with clients with Bipolar disorder.  DBT can help clients regulate their moods and emotional states while also teaching problem solving, interpersonal communication skills, and mindfulness.  DBT is a skill based intervention and largely focuses on balancing opposite perspectives that may both be true at the same time; such as “I need help & I don’t know where to begin.”  DBT helps clients with distress tolerance, developing more mindfulness practices, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.   We also found coordination of care with other medical professionals such as psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and primary care physicians is critical to treatment outcomes.  It’s always best when involved medical providers are in the loop and aware of what other providers are working on in treatment.

Many people suffering from Bipolar Disorder feel helpless and like things will never improve.  There is effective treatment and many diagnosed with his mood disorder go onto lead productive and fulfilling lives.  We are here to help you regain a sense of stability and empowerment to cope and learn effective ways to manage this mental health condition.

Blog Posts about Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Resources