Bipolar Disorders Treatment Newport Beach CA

Living with bipolar disorder is possible, and it doesn’t have to be a struggle. Lido Wellness Center offers an effective treatment program that’s compassionate and respectful of your needs. 

In the past, bipolar disorder was thought only to affect people at high risk for developing mental illness due to their family history. However, today we know that anyone can develop this condition, and they may not even realize it. Thankfully, Lido Wellness offers a bipolar treatment center in California to help individuals learn how to manage this condition. Our team treats all clinically diagnosed types of bipolar disorder.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Individuals with bipolar disorder suffer from more dramatic mood shifts than the normal ups and downs that most individuals experience.

• Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans each year — about 2.8% of the U.S. population (ages 18 and older).
• Bipolar disorder usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, but it can sometimes start in early childhood or as late as age 40 or 50.
• Suicide is the number one cause of premature death among people with bipolar disorder; approximately 17% of individuals take their own lives as a result of negative symptoms that come from untreated illness.

What People With Bipolar Disorder May Experience 

People with bipolar experience severe depression and manic phases that can last from days to months. The highs are often followed by lows leading to feelings such as restlessness and fatigue. Bipolar disorder is a unique and personal experience. No two people experience it the same way. 

Bipolar disorder is also often misunderstood. People with bipolar disorder typically consult multiple doctors and spend more than eight years seeking treatment before receiving a correct diagnosis. Bipolar disorder should not be confused with short-term mood instability but instead is characterized by long-term mood cycles. These cycles can last months, even years. Below are the typical signs and symptoms associated with these episodes.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder?

• Easily irritable and restless
• Decreased need to sleep
• Accelerated thoughts and speech
• Overconfident
• Engaging in impulsive behaviors
• Feeling hopeless
• Cognitive problems such as memory or making decisions
• Withdrawing from social activities
• Shifts in appetite and sleep patterns
• Thoughts about death and suicide

These signs and symptoms are more commonly grouped by the type of episode a person is experiencing. However, manic and depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder are different for everyone. That’s why it’s extremely important to talk to a mental health professional to make sure your specific diagnosis is being treated correctly. 

Bipolar Manic Episodes

Manic episodes are characterized by a period of extremely elevated or irritated mood and energy. Manic episodes usually include a focus on risky goal-directed activities that are out of touch with reality. These can lead to substance abuse, gambling, or recklessness with money and unrestrained spending, or high-risk sexual encounters. 

In most cases, manic episodes last a minimum of seven days. In some cases, manic episodes can be so intense that hospitalization is required.

Bipolar Depressive Episodes

Depressive episodes are characterized by feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or worry. When someone is suffering from a depressive episode of bipolar disorder, they have very little energy, tend to eat very little, and may spend a lot of time in bed. 

Typical depressive episodes last for a minimum of 2 weeks and can occur multiple times a year or rarely. 

Bipolar Psychosis

Some people who have bipolar disorder may experience psychosis. It’s important to remember psychosis is not an illness; it’s just a symptom. People who experience psychosis might have hallucinations or delusions. 

Psychosis can occur during a depressive or manic episode; however, it’s more common during manic episodes. During mania, it can be seen as a grandiose delusion meaning they believe they have some sort of special power. During a depressive episode, they may experience a paranoid delusion that someone is out to get them. 

What Are The Four Types Of Bipolar Disorder?

• Bipolar I disorder
• Bipolar II disorder
• Cyclothymic disorder
• Bipolar disorder “other specified” or “unspecified”

Bipolar I Disorder

Bipolar I disorder is an illness in which people have experienced one or more episodes of mania. Most individuals diagnosed with bipolar I will experience both manic and depressive symptoms, though depression need not always be present for diagnosis purposes. A manic episode needs to last at least seven days, or your mania has to be so severe it requires hospitalization.

Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II disorder is similar to bipolar I as it involves mood cycling. However, in bipolar II, depressive episodes are more common. Also, a person never reaches the more intense types of mania. For bipolar II, manic episodes are referred to as hypomania. To be diagnosed with bipolar II, you need to experience one depressive episode that lasts at least two weeks and one episode of hypomania that lasts at least four days. 

Cyclothymic Disorder

Cyclothymic disorder is more mild compared to mood swings in other types of bipolar disorder. However, their mood is consistently unstable. Individuals with cyclothymic disorder experience mood swings between mild depression and hypomania. The swings never reach full severity. People with cyclothymia have brief periods of normal mood but, those last less than eight weeks.

Bipolar Disorder “Other Specified” or “Unspecified”: 

Mental health professionals use this diagnosis for bipolar disorder when symptoms don’t fit into the other types. Generally, the individual does not display the clinically specified length of time for mania, hypomania, or depression. However, a person still displays clinically significant shifts in mood and energy levels.

Understanding The Effects Of Bipolar Disorder

One of the most important factors relating to bipolar disorder is mood swings. How long episodes last and whether they change quickly or slowly. Most times, less than four complete cycles occur within a given year. An episode could last up to two months.

Mood Swings And Manic Episodes 

​​Mood episodes are generally followed by a normal or intermediate period of mood. However, some individuals with bipolar disorder do not experience these “intermediary” periods. Instead, they only have their symptoms slightly minimized. For example, someone who is clearly between episodes might still feel low on some days or experience slight symptoms of mania on others. 

Though it’s less common than the longer cycling forms of bipolar disorder, a rapid-cycling type is also recognized. This is determined when a person has at least four or more manic or depressive episodes in the past year. 20% or less of all people with bipolar disorder suffer from rapid-cycling moods. Lido Wellness Center treats all types of bipolar disorder.

Common Questions About Bipolar Disorder

Below are commonly asked questions associated with bipolar disorder. 

Can Bipolar Disorder Go Away?

Bipolar disorder is not curable. Symptoms of bipolar disorder will come and go, but it requires lifetime treatment. Symptoms of bipolar do not go away on their own. Bipolar disorder can be the cause of relationship problems, job loss, and costly shopping sprees. However, the proper treatment program will lead to better outcomes.

Can A Person With Bipolar Disorder Live Without Medication?

In most cases, bipolar disorder requires lifelong medications and therapy, regardless of your current symptoms. Skipping treatment during times when symptoms are minor can cause individuals a relapse of symptoms. This could range from minor mood changes to full-blown mania or depression.

Any decision to stop taking medication for bipolar disorder should be recommended by a licensed mental health professional. Never stop cold turkey. 

Does Bipolar Disorder Get Worse as You Get Older?

If you stick to your treatment regimen, which includes ongoing medications and therapy, you should find bipolar disorder to get better as you age. This does not mean that the symptoms will go away, but rather due to being proactive over the illness, you will be able to control it. 

If you do not treat bipolar disorder, symptoms will get worse as you age. In many cases, individuals will have fewer manic episodes but more depressive ones. Your bipolar disorder could even progress to rapid cycling. 

Does Insurance Cover Bipolar Disorder Treatment?

As of the 2014 Affordable Care Act, mental health treatment is considered an “essential health benefit.” This means people with bipolar disorder can receive quality insurance coverage so they can receive the treatment approach required for ongoing management. 

As with any insurance plan, the coverage amount depends on your provider and the plan in which you’re enrolled. Coverage will also depend on whether your mental health care provider is considered in-network or out-of-network. 

What Is Lido’s Treatment Approach For Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong illness. Episodes of mania and depression typically come back over time. Many people with bipolar disorder are free of mood changes between episodes, but some may have lingering symptoms. Long-term, continuous treatment helps to control these symptoms.

Fortunately, the treatment success rate for bipolar disorder is remarkably 80%, according to the National Advisory Mental Health Council. Lido Wellness Center integrates evidence-based treatment approaches to target the symptoms associated with even the most severe forms of bipolar disorder. 

Lido’s approaches include the following: 

• Medication management
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavioral therapy 

Lido Wellness Center also provides integrative practices to improve emotional regulation and engagement in supportive behaviors to improve health.

Call Us Today

We can tell you more about how we can help you treat bipolar disorder to help you get your life back. Recovery is just a phone call away.

References 

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder/Treatment

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2021/0215/p227.html 

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-treatment.htm