Treatment FAQ

what is the role of psychotherapy in the treatment of bipolar disorder

by Dr. Vella Terry Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Psychotherapy, or "talk" therapy, is an important part of treatment for bipolar disorder. During therapy, you can discuss feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that cause you problems. Talk therapy can help you understand and hopefully master any problems that hurt your ability to function well in your life and career.Sep 23, 2020

What is the most effective therapy for bipolar disorder?

1. Self-Awareness...

2. Track Your Moods...

3. Cross off the Stress Box...

4. Seek Social Support...

5. Make Healthy Choices...

6. Do Not be Impulsive...

7. Stick to a Schedule...

Learn More...

What meds treat bipolar?

  • Improve ability to identify and intervene early with warning signs of recurrences
  • Increase acceptance of the illness
  • Enhance adherence with drug regimens
  • Enhance ability to cope with environmental stressors associated with symptoms
  • Stabilise sleep and wake rhythms and other daily routines
  • Re-engage with social, familial, and occupational roles

More items...

How can group therapy help treat bipolar disorder?

What meds treat bipolar?

  • Lithium. Lithium is the oldest medication used to treat bipolar disorder. ...
  • Anticonvulsants. Many medications that were first developed to treat epilepsy (seizures) also work well for bipolar. ...
  • Antipsychotics. These medications are particularly effective at preventing manic episodes. ...

What to know about bipolar II disorder?

While it’s not a substitute for therapy, bipolar disorder support groups can provide you with emotional support from others who know where you’re coming from. Sometimes, there’s nothing like...

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What is the best psychotherapy for bipolar disorder?

Here are several different forms of therapy that have been found to be effective for BD.Family-Focused Therapy. ... Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy. ... Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. ... Dialectical Behavior Therapy. ... Group Psychoeducation.

Does bipolar disorder respond to psychotherapy?

Bipolar disorder is best treated with a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Medications can provide effective treatment during the acute episode and prevent future episodes from occurring. Psychotherapy can help in ways that medications can't and can be an important adjunct to medication.

What is the advantage of adding psychotherapy to medication treatment for bipolar disorder?

Psychotherapy in Addition to Medication Helps Bipolar Disorder Patients Avoid Relapse and Manage Their Symptoms, Study Determines | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

What role does psychosocial interventions play in treating someone with bipolar disorder?

Psychosocial interventions have been found to reduce relapse, particularly for the depressive pole, and improve functionality. Approaches such as psychoeducation, cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, and family therapy have shown benefits as adjunctive treatments.

What psychotherapy means?

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. Psychotherapy can help eliminate or control troubling symptoms so a person can function better and can increase well-being and healing.

What is a common therapy for bipolar disorder?

Other types of therapy also may help, such as social rhythm therapy — establishing a consistent routine for better mood management. Substance abuse treatment. Many people with bipolar disorder also have alcohol, tobacco or drug problems.

Is psychotherapy more effective than medication?

Research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications, and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.

Who uses psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy can be helpful in treating most mental health problems, including: Anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder.

Can a psychologist help with bipolar disorder?

Psychologists can help patients and family members accept both the diagnosis and the treatment. Another important piece of psychoeducation is helping patients and family members understand what other factors affect the cycling of the disease.

What is the psychosocial understanding of bipolar disorder?

Background. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mood disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, and depression, separated by periods of euthymia. Although not characterised by mood symptoms, psychosocial functioning appears to remain impaired during euthymia (Marangell et al. 2009).

What are examples of psychosocial interventions?

Psychosocial treatments (interventions) include structured counseling, motivational enhancement, case management, care-coordination, psychotherapy and relapse prevention.

How do you counsel a bipolar person?

Here are 10 steps you can take to help someone with bipolar disorder:Educate yourself. The more you know about bipolar disorder, the more you'll be able to help. ... Listen. ... Be a champion. ... Be active in their treatment. ... Make a plan. ... Support, don't push. ... Be understanding. ... Don't neglect yourself.More items...

What is psychosocial intervention?

Psychosocial interventions have an increasing evidence base as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in the optimal management of this complex disorder. The target of psychosocial interventions. Medication non-adherence. Non-adherence to medication is a major cause of relapse in bipolar disorder. 2, 3 The factors involved in non-adherence are multifaceted ...

Why is mood monitoring important?

Retrospective mood monitoring can also help identify previously unrecognised illness episodes. However, reflecting on past episodes can be distressing and anxiety-provoking.

What is prospective mood monitoring?

Prospective mood monitoring: This form of monitoring is typically done on a daily basis, whereby patients record mood, anxiety and sleep, along with a journal note that can be used to identify possible triggers. Many mood monitors also record whether medication was taken as prescribed and phase of menstrual cycle.

What is online therapy?

Online therapy. A rapidly growing area for the management of mental illnesses is that of online therapies. In general, online therapies are based on models of face-to-face therapy. Therapies for depression and panic disorder are established examples.

Is ipolar disorder a chronic illness?

B ipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness that poses many treatment challenges. Although medication is a core treatment component (see Malhi et al ), 1 medications alone do not address many illness-related issues such as persistent subthreshold depression, adjustment to illness, medication adherence, and social and occupational functioning. Psychosocial interventions have an increasing evidence base as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in the optimal management of this complex disorder.

Is psychosocial therapy useful for bipolar?

Current evidence suggests that psychosocial interventions are valuable in the adjunctive management of bipolar disorder. They should be utilised as a routine component of management, and as early after diagnosis as feasible. Psychosocial therapies are more valuable if commenced when a patient is euthymic.

How many sessions of education for bipolar disorder?

This research team (including Dr. Vieta, who provided much of the material for this entire essay) added 21 sessions of education about bipolar disorder, in groups of 8-12 patients each, to routine treatment in their clinic. A control group received 21 sessions of “nonstructured” meetings with the same two therapists, but in these groups, they tried not to teach about bipolar disorder (think about it: this was a very rigorous test of the theory that education itself is the active ingredient in the different outcomes shown below).

What are the three psychotherapies?

The three psychotherapies, all of which are described below, were: Bipolar-specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Interpersonal Therapy with Social Rhythm Therapy. Family-Focused Therapy (for patients with family who could join in treatment) There two more kinds of therapy which have been studied in bipolar disorder.

How many times did a psychologist meet with a patient?

In this study, a psychologist “with little previous clinical experience”#N#met with patients up to 12 times (average 9) while the rest of the clinical team proceeded as usual. She discussed with the patient her/his personal experience of bipolar disorder and the signs preceding manic and depressive episodes in the past. They planned and rehearsed a plan for action should those symptoms appear again. The plan was written on a laminated card, carried by the patient. The therapist helped the patient keep a weekly diary, increasing to daily notes if symptoms were appearing. She informed the rest of the treatment team (a psychiatrist and mental health worker and primary care physician) of the plan. That was it, nothing any fancier than that, although it looks like she is a very smart person from the style of the write-up, of which she is the primary author.

When was cognitive therapy introduced?

This technique was introduced in 1996 by Drs. Basco and Rush (Ph.D. and M.D. respectively) in their book Cognitive Therapy for Bipolar Disorder. For psychologists seeking training in this method — or patients and families seeking the most thorough treatment possible and willing to teach their therapists while both patient and therapist learn by working through the a training manual — another more recent book describes the technique used by the authors of the largest research study of this method: Cognitive Therapy for Bipolar Disorder: A Therapist’s Guide to Concepts, Methods and Practice, by Dominic Lam and colleagues.

Is Freudian therapy used for bipolar?

None of these bears much resemblance to traditional “psychoanalytic” psychotherapy (the modern version of Freudian technique), which has not been studied in bipolar disorder. They are specific approaches developed to address known needs of bipolar patients and families.

What are the benefits of adjunctive psychosocial interventions?

Approaches such as psychoeducation, cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, and family therapy have shown benefits as adjunctive treatments. Each of the various psychosocial interventions has a unique emphasis, but they share common elements. These include: providing information and education; developing a personal understanding of the illness, such as triggers and early warning signs ; having prepared strategies in place for early intervention, should symptoms of illness develop; and promoting a collaborative approach . Evidence to date supports the use of adjunctive psychosocial interventions in the management of bipolar disorder.

Is mental illness biological or individual based?

The aim of this thesis has been to analyze the official definitions of mental disorder (i.e. those routinely used in the Health System to make diagnosis), to demonstrate that they are biological and individual-based. A mental disorder is essentially conceived and measured as a biological phenomenon embedded in an individual. Thanks to a logical and conceptual process rooted in empirical evidences, though, I suggest here to reconsider psychopathology as a fundamentally social phenomenon: sociality could be the “proprium” or even the “definiens” of what we call mental disorders. This operation would present many difficulties, both practical and theoretical, which I tried to take into account.

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