Bipolar I Case Study

Thankfully, there are various treatments and therapies, which can help manage bipolar disorder in an individual. Since all patents are different, experimenting with multiple treatments is always a good idea, to help figure out what will work best for them. Medication is a main and most popular route, including mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants (“National Institute of Mental Health”). Unfortunately, medications can have their downsides and often getting the patient to regularly take their medication is one of the biggest challenges. Another option for the patient to consider is psychotherapy. This includes different kinds of verbal therapy such as cognitive and behavioral therapy (“Bipolar Disorder”). Therapy is not only helpful for the affected person but also can help the family cope. Lifestyle changes such as healthier lifestyle, organized schedule, and the limitation of alcohol and drug consumption, can contribute to managing this disorder. Overall though, this disorder affects everyone differently, and the patent needs to consult a doctor and psychiatrist to figure out what will help them handle their symptoms the most

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a theory that deals with depression and ways to relieve the depression. The theory is based on the assumption that events happen and affect the behavior and emotions of an individual. When a positive event happens, there are three things that get to the depressed individual. First, the depressed child or adult think about the event. The depressed person selectively chose the negative aspect of the event and sees themselves as failure. Second, the emotions of the child or individual go down. Third, what the person does is withdrawal, de-activation,

There is more to the treatment of bipolar disorder than medication, but the medication Lithium has been the primary treatment since the 1960’s. In four studies

Medication is the first line of defense in treating bipolar disorder. Traditionally, lithium was the drug of choice for bipolar patients. Though lithium is still used

Cognitive behavior therapy has become quite popular in use due to the short duration of time that counselors see a positive affect in their patients. This type of therapy doesn’t require as much time; therefore it is more affordable than some of the other types of therapeutics options. “Cognitive behavioral therapy is affective with a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors. There are several forms of cognitive behavioral therapy such as: rational emotive therapy, cognitive therapy, and multimodal therapy” (Dobson and Dozois - Paraphrase).

(392) Before answering the question let’s figure out what lithium is. We know it is a drug to treat bipolar disorders, but it is a silvery white element found throughout the world in various simple mineral salts (Comer, 2013, pp.280). Individuals who take lithium suffer from bipolar disorders

There was one time that bipolar patients were treated with lithium. According to Whitaker, Guy Goodwin, a Scottish psychiatrist concluded “… if patients were exposed to lithium and then quit taking it within the first two years, the risk of relapse was so great that the drug

Bipolar 2 Disorder is somewhat similar to the regular bipolar disorder. It has its high and lows. the "up" moods never reach full-blown mania. The less-intense elevated moods in bipolar II disorder are called hypomanic episodes, or hypomania (Bipolar). There is no cure for this disorder but it can be treated with medication. People that have Bipolar 2 Disorder tend to turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with their disorder. Usually that is never a good thing.

In cognitive behavior therapy there are three main goals a therapist tries to achieve, “ relieve the symptoms and help clients resolve the problem, then help clients develop strategies that can be used to cope with future problems, finally help clients change the way they think from irrational, self-defeating thoughts to more rational, self-helping, positive thoughts” (Ciccarelli, White 2015). When interviewing friends the first step was to find out what their most impacting problems were. Then they talked about ways they could help relax themselves when or if the situation every happened again. Finally they came up with ways they could look at their problems in a more positive way. After the interviews

Behavioral activation (BA) is a structured, collaborative, and uncomplicated psychotherapeutic approach that postulates that depression can be effectively treated by; 1) increasing the client’s involvement in adaptive activities (e.g., activity monitoring/scheduling, pleasurable activity scheduling). 2) A reduction in activities that maintain depression or increases the clients risk for depressive symptoms 3) Teaching problem solving skills to combat aversive environmental stimuli that limits the clients access to pleasurable experiences and work to maintain or increase unhealthy behaviors. BA treatment then concentrates on increasing reward and decreasing punishment in the client’s life. BA focuses on inertia. While depression tends to

The National Institute of Mental Health describes bipolar I disorder as the occurrence of manic episodes that can last up to seven days, or experiencing a state of mania so severe that one must be hospitalized. With manic episodes, it is common to experience depressive symptoms as well, which can last two weeks or more. The NIMH defines bipolar II disorder as a pattern of depressive episodes with the addition of hypomanic episodes, which are not as intense and distressing as the manic episodes in bipolar I disorder. During a manic episode one might be experiencing feelings of having a lot of energy, feeling jumpy or wired, talking fast about a variety of topics, racing thoughts, and wanting to do risky things. During an episode of depression,

First of all, lithium, or lithium carbonate, is a very effective mood stabilizer (a medication that treats moods extending days to weeks, not moments) first approved by the FDA in the 1970’s. (Google) It was the first mood stabilizer which treated both manic and depressive episodes. Other mood stabilizers include anticonvulsants, medications originally developed to treat seizures (NIMH). This includes LTG. Mood stabilizers vary in their anti-manic and antidepressant effects. Lithium is more effective in treating mania. Lamotrigine is more useful for depressive symptoms. Both medications are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the prophylactic (preventing disease) treatment of BD, and lamotrigine may be especially effective in rapid-cycling BD. (Merriam Webster,

There are not nearly as many treatments for bipolar disorder. In fact, there is only one treatment that seems to have lasting effects. This treatment uses therapy with a professional coupled with medications. “Antibipolar drugs, also called mood stabilizers, help steady the mood of those with a bipolar disorder” (Chapter 2, 2009). The advances in treatment are due to the discovery of lithium as a medication. This drug works extremely well to eliminate manic episodes and even help with the depression. The drugs

Lithium is a top choice for acute mania and for maintenance in ‘classic’ bipolar disorder. Because of its narrow therapeutic range, blood levels must be monitored; also heart and kidney function (EKG, blood and urine tests). Medications such as diuretics, that block its excretion require caution.