Bipolar Disorder

People with bipolar disorder struggle to find a happy medium between depression and mania. If your bipolar disorder symptoms are proving hard to manage, talk to board-certified nurse practitioner Kanwaljit (Kavi) Sidhu, NP-C, PMHNP-BC, at Sidhu Psychiatric Clinic in Palm Harbor, Florida. Kavi combines expert medication management with personalized talk therapy to help bipolar patients live a more settled life. Call Sidhu Psychiatric Clinic to benefit from compassionate bipolar disorder care or schedule an in-person or telehealth consultation online today.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is an incurable mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings. Patients experience emotional highs (mania) followed by low mood (depression) in a continual cycle. Bipolar disorder heightens your risk of substance misuse, self-harm, and suicide.

There are three types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar I disorder is the most serious, causing dramatic mood swings and sometimes triggering psychosis (hallucinations and delusions).

Bipolar II disorder causes equally severe depression, but mania is less extreme (hypomania). A third condition, cyclothymia, features less violent mood swings.

What symptoms does bipolar disorder cause?

Bipolar disorder patients experience the same symptoms as people with another common mood disorder: depression (major depressive disorder). 

During depressive episodes, persistent sadness, worthlessness, and despair take over. You lose interest in activities you usually find pleasurable and struggle to see anything positive in life.

Some people sleep more; others struggle to sleep. You might have little interest in eating or turn to food for comfort. Aches and pains, digestive problems, and fatigue are also common during depressive episodes.

Manic episode symptoms include:

• Feeling energized
• Euphoria
• Being easily distracted
• Attempting multiple tasks
• Exaggerated self-confidence
• Agitation and irritability
• Reduced need for sleep
• Racing thoughts
• Reckless or risky behaviors

In a manic phase, you might drive too fast, pick a fight, or spend money you can’t afford.

These mood swings adversely affect your behaviors, decision-making abilities, and energy levels. One moment, you feel on top of the world and capable of anything; the next, you’re in such a slump that you struggle to get out of bed.

What treatments are available for bipolar disorder?

At Sidhu Psychiatric Clinic, Kavi designs a bipolar disorder treatment plan after completing a thorough mental health assessment. The treatments most likely to benefit you depend on your condition’s severity, how it affects you in daily life, and how you respond to initial therapies.

Because bipolar disorder is incurable, treatment focuses on stabilizing your condition and reducing mood swing severity. Most people benefit from combining psychotherapy — talk therapy techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) — with medications.

Antidepressants help you manage the depressive lows, while mood stabilizers stop your shifts from depression to mania from being so extreme. If you experience psychosis, you might also need antipsychotic medication.

Call Sidhu Psychiatric Clinic to arrange a bipolar disorder evaluation or schedule a consultation online today.