Bipolar disorder is a treatable disorder however, there is no cure. Before being treated, you or your family member will need to be assessed for the illness by a psychiatrist. This test most commonly will be a mental health assessment but may include a physical. To treat bipolar disorder, there are a variety of different medications that may be helpful. These medications may include mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety medications, and finally anti-depressants. However anti-depressants can cause adverse affects on someone who is bipolar at a high dose. Personally, I was put on Lexapro for a few months until my dose was upped to 20 mg which caused me to rapid cycle. What is rapid cycling? Rapid cycling is switching between manic, depressive, and regular states much faster than you usually do if you are bipolar. This was not fun and led to an expensive hospital stay (A very necessary and productive stay). Other treatments include intensive outpatient programs or programs that involve a partial hospital stay, and treatment for drug or alcohol abuse, as well as talk therapy.
