Although mood stabilizers, such as lithium, Depakote or Tegretol, are the mainstays of treatment for bipolar disorder, therapy can be critically important, particularly for individuals newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder or those with significant life stress. Although bipolar disorder usually begins in teenagers/young adult hood, the average age of diagnosis is in the late 20s, which usually means that people have been suffering from it for many years before first getting treatment. Therapy can help people come to terms with the illness, which has often played havoc with their work and relationships in the years between first onset and treatment, learn to recognize the early warning signs of relapse and develop healthy habits to prevent recurrence. Therapy can also help people learn how to manage or decrease stress, which frequently is a precipitant of a new episode.
There are three types of therapies which seem to be particularly helpful in the treatment of bipolar disorder: cognitive behavioral therapy, where you examine how your thoughts affect your emotions and learn how to change negative thinking patterns; interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, where you learn to manage current relationship difficulties and stabilize your social rhythms such as when you wake up, go to sleep and eat; and family –focused therapy which works to educate family members about the illness and how to cope with its symptoms.
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