Conditions Treated
Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar Disorder Treatment
MEDICATION
The choice of medications to treat Bipolar Disorder is very individualized and it can take time to find the right medication and dose. Most patients will receive either a mood stabilizer like lithium or valproate or an atypical antipsychotic often in combination with each other. Some patients will benefit from adjunctive benzodiazepines or hypnotics initially.
Maintenance treatment is used to manage Bipolar Disorder on a long-term basis. Usually the dose and the combination of medications that gets you better, keeps you better and should be continued for maintenance purposes. Non-adherence is extremely common and can lead to relapse and hospitalization.
THERAPY
Psychosocial treatments have an important role in Bipolar Disorder. Proven therapies include cognitive behavioral therapy, family focused therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, and group psychoeducation. These are as an adjunct to medications, not as a substitute.
IV KETAMINE TREATMENT FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER
Ketamine is an effective treatment that can help manage bipolar disorder. Ketamine has been associated with impressive benefits in bipolar depression. For example, in one study of 53 adults with bipolar depression, a single session of intravenous ketamine resulted in 51% of patients responding and maintaining the response one week later. Ketamine is growing in popularity as a treatment option for bipolar disorder because it does not come with some of the symptoms that traditional bipolar treatments can cause like weight gain. An intranasal formulation of esketamine (Spravato®) is also available now.