Bipolar Disorder is
a mental disorder that
causes the extreme change in the moods of an individual from being too excited
(manic episode) to a depressed phase with
the normal mood states in- between. It is typically a lifelong disorder with
highly variable and unique pattern of episodes in each individual. Therefore,
treatment is more complex and often involves more than one medication due to
variable episodes.
Many treatment plans are already available which
involves psychotherapeutic treatment,
alternate medicines, complementary treatments and lifestyle changes with the most
important treatment plan of psychiatric
medication. All the other treatment plans goes alongside the prescribed
medications. Also today, many researches are going on all around the world for
exploring the new possibilities.
Medications mainly involve Mood
stabilizers, Antidepressants and Antipsychotic drugs. One of the earliest
medications used for its treatment is Lithium,
a central treatment of bipolar disorder. It is believed that it was discovered almost 50
years ago and since then, it has been using effectively to treat people
having bipolar disorder. Some other pharmacological agents such as Lamictal, Abilify, Carbamazepine, Olanzapine,
etc. are also in use to treat mood swings
of bipolar Disorder. But their Effect remains not for too long. Hence,
there is a greater need for the scientists to look for improved therapies for
the various episodes of bipolar disorder. Recently, a new drug, called scopolamine was accidentally discovered
for treating mood swings of bipolar disorder, when it was testing for its
effects on memory and attention. The drug is found to have a great
antidepressant response and the improvement persisted for weeks or even months.
Psychological
therapies such as talk therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and family
treatment help to identify the mood swings, thus, can also increase
medication compliance, and teach skills to cope with the disorder.
Alternate
therapies such as phototherapy, acupuncture, massage, yoga etc.
also aids to the medication efficiency and general self-care.
Most importantly, it is prescribed from every specialist
to adopt strategies for the changes in
lifestyle which mainly include adequate
sleep, exercise and nutritional food as it helps in managing the symptoms
of the bipolar disorder.
Current advances in the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as DNA research allow the access to
the genetic secrets concerned with the bipolar disorder. Through this
knowledge, several genetic variants linked to bipolar disorder has been
highlighted which gives the possibility of complete treatment in the coming
years.
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