Bipolar Disorder Treatment in Tucson, AZ
The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners at Pima Behavioral Health are dedicated to bipolar disorder treatment and support of the large and growing number of people who experience unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity, sleep and daily functioning at various times. These mood swings can be extreme, including periods of depression and episodes of mania or hypomania. This condition, known as bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness, can cause people to have problems at work or in their relationships. Many bipolar individuals act impulsively and make financial or other risk-taking decisions. In addition, people with bipolar disorder can have sleep problems, either excessive sleep or insomnia. With the correct diagnosis and proper bipolar treatment, most people are able to lead a stable life.
Bipolar disorder is not a single medical or mental health condition; it is part of a spectrum of illnesses known as bipolar illness. During the depressive phase of bipolar illness, most individuals report feeling sad, hopeless, fatigued, apathetic, inattentive, and experience changes in sleep. In contrast, during the manic or hypomanic phase, most individuals report feeling euphoric, irritable, having increased energy, getting less sleep than usual, racing thoughts or ideas, and an inflated sense of self-importance or specialness. Some individuals who have bipolar illness even report experiencing severe irritability during their depressive states. In its most severe form, bipolar illness can include psychotic features and significant impairment in functioning.
Accurate diagnosis is a critical component of quality psychiatric care. Often people with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed and receive inappropriate treatment for depression, anxiety, ADHD or personality disorder. By the time a person seeks help for their psychiatric difficulties, they are usually in a depressed state. At Pima Behavioral Health, our diagnosis of bipolar disorder extends beyond the typical assessment for depression. All of our clients receive a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. This evaluation goes beyond a typical depression assessment by reviewing the client’s psychiatric history, patterns of symptom expression over time, episodes of psychiatric illness, family history of psychiatric illness, sleep disturbances, medication response and previous treatment attempts. We also seek information about periods of elevated mood, increased energy, elevated activity, decreased need for sleep, increased talkativeness, impaired judgment and impulsive behaviors characteristic of mania or hypomania in bipolar disorder. The best treatment for bipolar disorder is quite different from the approach and treatment for someone with unipolar depression.
Bipolar treatment includes medication management, as different types of bipolar disorders require different combinations of medications. The most commonly prescribed medications for bipolar include mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics. The purpose of these medications is to reduce the frequency and severity of mood episodes, to improve sleep, and to work toward long-term stability. A person with bipolar can never be on “permanent medication holiday.” Response to medications can change over time. Thus, the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and patient must have regular follow-up visits to adjust and fine-tune the regimen.
In addition to medication, many people with bipolar disorder find other therapies to be very helpful. These may include daily routines, such as regular sleep times and exercise, psychotherapy to deal with relationship problems associated with the illness, or education about the illness to better understand its effects. Many clients obtain benefit from counseling for bipolar disorder. Many people find that working with a treatment team to identify early warning signs of episodes to be particularly helpful. Sleep regulation is an important part of the treatment plan for someone with bipolar disorder, as a lack of sleep can lead to a manic or depressive episode. In addition to maintaining consistent treatment, having bipolar disorder means paying attention to potential triggers, following the treatment plan, and responding to early changes in mood. Treatment also can help a person with bipolar disorder to regain a sense of accomplishment, confidence and control over life following a episode that affected employment, relationships or self-esteem.
For most people, living with bipolar disorder can be extremely unpredictable and difficult to manage; it is often marked by a history of psychiatric crises, relationship problems and confusion. At Pima Behavioral Health we provide individualized, holistic and compassionate bipolar treatment. We are committed to helping each patient see that there is a better way to live and work towards a sustainable long-term solution. We work side by side with each patient to create a realistic treatment plan that will emphasize stability, safety and recovery in the near term and significant growth and fulfillment in the long term.
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Schedule Your Appointment Today
Are you looking for bipolar disorder treatment in Tucson or bipolar medication management? Pima Behavioral Health offers caring and experienced service from our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners. Schedule your appointment today by calling us at 520-355-1122!