Bipolar disorder is a common mental health condition that can lead to sudden shifts in your thinking patterns, mood, behaviour, and energy levels. These mood shifts can entirely interrupt your ability to perform daily tasks and can last for a few hours, weeks, or even months. During bipolar disorder episodes, you can experience various depression and manic symptoms such as restlessness, excessive happiness, psychosis, lack of motivation, and suicidal attempts. However, if you have been diagnosed with this condition then there’s nothing to worry about because there is available bipolar disorder treatment in Siliguri.
There can be various environmental factors and changes in the brain that can cause bipolar disorder. Herein, contacting a psychiatrist can help you get proper treatment for the disorder. Before curating a treatment plan, the doctor will also perform certain diagnostic tests which include medical tests, physical exams, and a thorough mental health evaluation to check the symptoms and causes. Once the diagnosis is done, an accurate treatment regimen will be curated to ensure mental well-being with minimization of the distressing symptoms.
What Can You Expect During a Bipolar Treatment Journey?
1. Routine check-ups
While undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder, you must always remember that this is an ongoing disorder that needs regular health check-ups. It is recommended by doctors that even if you’re getting relief from the symptoms, you need to schedule an annual examination. During these examinations, your progress and existing symptoms will be evaluated to determine any modifications in the current treatment plan. Mood charting, physical exams, and mental health assessments are also done during the routine examinations.
2. Self-management strategies
It is true that bipolar disorder has various available treatment options but still during the recovery journey, you must expect the doctor to recommend certain self-management strategies. Some of the most effective strategies that you can consider following are identifying the main triggers, determining the early signs, and educating yourself about the possible symptoms. These strategies are quite beneficial in detecting an upcoming bipolar mood disorder episode so that you can take all the required preparations to tackle it efficiently.
3. Trial and error to get the right medicine
You must expect the bipolar disorder treatment as a trial and error method. This is because while curating the treatment plan, the best doctors for bipolar disorder in Siliguri may take a significant amount of time to decide the right medicine. Everyone’s health needs are different and this is why medications also work differently in everyone. Some patients may see a significant improvement by taking just one medication but there can also be patients who may need 2-3 medications to witness any improvements. It is vital for you to be patient this time.
4. Therapy sessions
While undergoing bipolar treatment, be ready to attend multiple therapy sessions. Herein, you should know that talk therapy is one of the major treatment modalities for bipolar which the doctor can choose to provide in group, solo, or family settings. For these therapies to work, you need an average of 20 sessions which is often divided throughout the week. Some of the best therapies for bipolar are CBT, interpersonal and social rhythm, family-focused therapy, and psychoeducation.
5. Lifelong commitment
Even if you’re getting fewer bipolar disorder episodes after treatment, you must understand that bipolar is a lifelong condition. This is why it is also vital to continue the treatment properly. Remember that to get a stable mental state, you need to have a lifelong commitment to the treatment which will also prevent you from experiencing sudden flare-ups in the symptoms. However, note that if you fail to follow the treatment plan then you are more prone to experience some distressing symptoms of bipolar.
6. Medication adherence
There are several medicines for bipolar disorder that the doctor can prescribe to stabilize your mood. While undergoing bipolar disorder treatment in Siliguri, you must maintain medication adherence so that the symptoms can be alleviated. Some medications that the doctor may recommend are antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antianxiety drugs. It is vital for you to understand that you should never stop taking bipolar medications without speaking with the doctor as it can deteriorate your overall condition.
7. Sudden mood swings
While getting bipolar treatment, don’t think that your mood swings will just vanish away. This is because even during treatment, the depression and manic episodes can come back suddenly which may not involve mood swings like before but it can still present some symptoms. There are many people who may experience lingering symptoms which is why continuous treatment becomes extremely essential. Some of the common signs that one can suffer from suddenly during treatment are restlessness, changes in sleeping patterns, forgetfulness, and severe irritability.
8. Certain medication side-effects
During bipolar treatment, you must also expect certain side effects from the prescribed medications. In most cases, the side effects start to disappear when the doctor adjusts the frequency and dosage of the medications. This is why it is important for you to contact the doctor immediately if you experience any abnormal signs. Some of the common signs that you must be aware of are tremors, weight gain, nausea, diarrhea, muscle twitching, and dizziness. Due to these problems, you must not stop the drugs suddenly as it can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
9. Hospitalization
In some serious cases of bipolar disorder, the doctor may choose hospitalization to keep the patients secure. There are various emergency warning signs that may indicate it is right to hospitalization such as substance abuse, self-harming thoughts, lack of sleep, harmful behaviour, hallucination, and severe exhaustion. In the hospital setting, the doctor may give you specialized medications, therapies, or electroconvulsive therapy while following a combination treatment approach to enhance your overall condition.
10. Support groups
Just medications and therapies are not enough to help you recover completely from bipolar disorder. This is why during the treatment journey you must expect to seek support from your near ones such as school counselors, friends, and family members. Herein, you must consider being around a supportive network where the people will always encourage you towards treatment success. Without proper support, you won’t be able to come out from the bipolar episodes and get mental well-being.
11. Planning for relapse prevention
After a certain period of wellness due to bipolar treatment, the hypomania, mania, and depression episodes may start appearing again. You must note that relapse is unpredictable and happens to almost 75% of bipolar disorder patients. This is why you must expect the doctor to curate a relapse prevention plan for you beforehand. Herein, the doctor may also recommend focusing on your sleeping time, caffeine intake, and nap times to decrease the chances of relapse.
12. Adjustments in the treatment plan
There can be certain instances when the predetermined treatment plan may not work effectively over the bipolar disorder symptoms. In such cases, you must not delay contacting the psychiatrist as it is time to modify the treatment plan. Herein, the doctor may tell you to understand specialized therapy sessions or may also increase the dosage of the medications for effectiveness. It is vital for you to follow the doctor’s directions to get relief from the symptoms.
The above-mentioned points are some of the things that you can experience during bipolar disorder treatment in Siliguri. To increase the effectiveness of the treatment plan, you must also maintain your sleep schedule, quit drinking alcohol, and exercise regularly along with taking the medications.
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