by Stephenie Gardella

Created on: April 17, 2010

Managing bipolar disorder can be daunting to say the least. It is a lifelong illness that requires maintenance, just as diabetes does. There are several things that can be done to help manage bipolar disorder. It is important to take care of oneself.

♦ First, taking medications exactly as prescribed is paramount.

The  psychiatrist knows what he is doing, and if he doesn’t, the mental health consumer  needs to get a new psychiatrist. Keep him informed as to how the consumer is doing, side effects, questions, and concerns. If the patient  wants to stop taking a medication, discuss it with the doctor and tell him why. He may agree with the consumer or not. But if the patient is adamant about stopping a medication, he needs to do it with his psychiatrist’s knowledge and help.

Some medicines have some awful withdrawal symptoms if the patient tries to get off of them the incorrect way. Alternately, the patient should also tell the doctor if there is a medicine he wants to try. Regardless, the psychiatrist needs to know the truth about the consumer and his symptoms. The more informed the psychiatrist is, the better off he will be.

♦ Second, the patient should stay away from alcohol and drugs, even recreational use.

Alcohol, drugs, and medicine do not go together. Ever. Sometimes a person looks toward alcohol or drugs to get them out of pain, whatever that pain may be. A person may look to alcohol and drugs to make things better. However, this is never the case. That’s what the medicine, therapy, and coping skills should do.

♦ Third, the bipolar patient must take care of himself physically.

This includes eating healthy and exercising. One should exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Also eating a variety of foods - fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein - is healthy. In addition to this, he needs to see his primary care doctor regularly and make sure that his doctor and his psychiatrist communicate with each other.

Also, all of the patient’s medicine should be gotten at the same pharmacy. If the pharmacist does not know all of the medicine the person is taking, then there may be some bad interactions between the medications.

♦ Fourth, he should attend psychotherapy and see his psychiatrist on a regular basis.

Therapy is there to help the patient deal with his illness and the stresses of life. However, therapy cannot help if the patient doesn’t go. The psychiatrist must also see the patient regularly.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>