Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder. However, it differs significantly from depression and anxiety. Bipolar disorder encompasses both symptoms of depression and mania. This diagnosis can be difficult to diagnose, and medication is an important component of managing this disorder. Clients are often already under the care of a psychiatrist or, your therapist may recommend that you ask your physician for a referral to a psychiatrist to ensure that you have the best opportunity to manage both the depression and the mania.
Some of the Bipolar symptoms you may be experiencing include:
DEPRESSION:
- Overwhelming sadness
- Withdrawal
- Loss of sexual desire
- Disturbances in your sleep
- Appetite changes
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Suicidality
MANIA:
- Excessively elevated mood
- Rage
- Overly optimistic
- Impulsive decisions
- Changes in spending or sexual habits
- Racing thoughts
- Inability to sit still
- Rapid speech
- Little need for sleep
- Difficulty paying attention
At Reframed, your therapist will work with you to manage and reduce your symptoms and help you to understand this diagnosis more completely. Your therapist may use a variety of modalities that may include: CBT, DBT, narrative therapy or ACT (to name a few).
