What Is Bipolar Disorder?
We all have ups and downs, and it’s perfectly normal to feel phases of sadness and happiness. But if the highs and lows become excessive or unbalanced, these periods of powerful emotion might be damaging to relationships, affect daily life, and may even be life-threatening.
However, bipolar disorder can be properly treated. People with bipolar disorder can lead a fulfilling and productive life free from suffering under such emotional extremes. At our bipolar disorder treatment centers, we help our clients restore balance and peace of mind.
Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, and Cyclothymic Disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are three types of bipolar disorder, including:
- Bipolar I Disorder: This type is defined by manic episodes that last at least seven days or by manic symptoms that lead to hospitalization. Depressive episodes also occur and typically last about two weeks. Additionally, having depressive symptoms and manic symptoms at the same time (episodes of depression with mixed features) are also possible.
- Bipolar II Disorder: Defined by depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, bipolar II disorder consists of less severe episodes than the manic episodes experienced with bipolar I disorder.
- Cyclothymic Disorder: This type also called cyclothymia, although rare, is defined by recurrent hypomanic and depressive episodes that are milder than those experienced with other types of bipolar disorder.
What Does the Mental Illness Bipolar Disorder Look Like?
- Intense euphoria
- Hurried speech
- Racing thoughts
- Increased agitation or irritation
- Engaging in risky behaviors, including substance abuse
- Decreased need for sleep
- Fatigue, lethargy, or physical weakness
- Extreme sadness, often leading to suicidal thoughts or behavior
- Sleep problems of either too much or too little
- Low appetite or increased appetite
- Loss of interest in activities once considered enjoyable
- Increased irritability and heightened aggression
- Chronic pain with no known cause
Bipolar disorder can also include seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or having moods that change with the seasons. People with bipolar disorder that experience SAD may become manic or hypomanic in the spring or summer, become depressed in the fall or winter, or vice versa.
If left untreated, bipolar disorder can result in severe episodes of either mania or depression that can be life-threatening.
Bipolar Disorder Treatment at Clearview
Many people with bipolar disorder don’t get the treatment they need, but they can’t get better on their own. Receiving proper care at a bipolar disorder treatment center like Clearview with experts who have experience in the effective treatment of bipolar disorder helps clients get their symptoms under control, allowing them to have long-lasting and sustainable health and happiness.
As part of our bipolar disorder treatment programs, our mental health professionals develop specialized treatment plans that best address each client’s needs by incorporating the most successful evidence-based therapy methods and healing techniques. Our holistic approach allows clients to strengthen and develop their understanding of their diagnosis. Our mental health professionals also help clients better manage their bipolar disorder symptoms using various types of therapies including individual, family-focused, and group therapy sessions in a calming and therapeutic environment.
Additionally, treating bipolar disorder may require the concurrent management of coexisting mental health disorders or addictions to alleviate symptoms appropriately. For individuals with bipolar disorder complicated by a drug or alcohol addiction, we treat dual diagnosis at our bipolar disorder treatment centers.
Our Bipolar Disorder Treatment Programs
At Clearview, we offer several programs to treat bipolar disorder including the following treatment programs based on each client’s needs.
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center: As a premier treatment center, our Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center provides residential treatment for all genders struggling with an addiction and a variety of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder. Our treatment team has vast expertise in treating complicated dual diagnosis cases, providing clients with the specialized treatment they need to make a complete recovery from their addiction and co-occurring mental illness.
- Outpatient Treatment Programs: Clearview’s Outpatient programs offer personalized outpatient treatment via partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) as well as intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). Our programs treat addictions, dual diagnosis, and a multitude of mental health disorders, including bipolar disorder.
Additionally, Clearview Women’s Treatment Center is a specialized residential treatment center for women struggling with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and emotional dysregulation. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is the primary mode of treatment used at the Women’s Treatment Center and its one of the only centers like it in the country.
Bipolar Disorder FAQs
Unfortunately if left untreated, the answer is yes. The Treatment Advocacy Center reports that suicide is the number one cause of premature death among individuals with bipolar disorder, with 15% to 17% taking their own lives because of the harmful symptoms that result from an untreated illness. The extreme depression and psychosis that can result from a lack of bipolar disorder treatment is usually the culprit in these cases.