Treatment Of Treatment For Bipolar Disorder - 1441 Words

Treatment Treatment for bipolar disorder has to this day been approach using the biomedical model approach. Which means that BP disorder has been predominantly treated pharmacologically. Pharmacological treatment of BP disorder is not to be underestimated, but it is also not to be considered the first and last option of treatment. Research has shown that the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (along with various other treatments) combined with pharmacological treatment has been shown to have better efficacy than each of these approaches separately (Singleton, 2006). However, it has been seen as a long time technique to use medication as a validator of the diagnosis. This techniques seems appropriate considering how hard it is to diagnose BP†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately the neurobiology in relation to lithium treatment is not well understood and most of the research on it is primarily speculative and theoretical, and in-turn does not offer much insight. Although, the great efficacy of this treatment does not come without a price, lithium has a very thin line between therapeutic effect and toxicity. Blood levels must be check regularly to make sure that the lithium is within therapeutic levels to avoid lithium poisoning (Jann M. W., 2014). The next pharmacological treatment that will be discussed is probably the most controversial treatment for BP disorder, and that is antidepressants. Antidepressant are not a FDA-accepted treatment for BP disorder and the efficacy of this treatment is questionable. Antidepressant may be used on patients with BP disorder, it is not advised to use them on patients with a history of rapid cycling (of symptoms). There seems to be a consensus in the research that antidepressants should never be used to treat BP disorder alone. Antidepressants should be used with antipsychotic or mood stabilizers in order to protect the patient from potential pharmacologically induced episode of mania that could be a danger to the patient. Brief Overview of Psychotherapy People with BP disorder usually end up in therapy by one of multiple way, either the subject is in a depressive phase and recognizes that they need help. The subject is in a manic phase and is admitted against their own will