Recovery from Bipolar Disorder

You are diagnosed with a mental disorder. You have bipolar disorder. The medications are beginning to work. You are no longer revved up or confined to your bed in anguish. Your worst symptoms have vanished.  You are in charge of your emotions again.

But you do not feel the same as you did before. You are uneasy about the side effects of the medications that make you feel worse in ways other than mania or depression. This is the fate of someone with a severe mental illness at times.  Each day of the rest of their lives will be like an individual with an unresponsive bipolar disorder.

Although there is a high success rate for treating bipolar disorder, surveys of outpatients at several clinics, however, found that a number were unemployed and some were on welfare or disability.

Response to medication is a commonly used for the success or failure of a medication. Response is when there is a significant reduction in symptoms.

There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but it is a treatable disorder. The treatment success rate for bipolar disorder is an approximately 80% according to recent studies.

It is important to diagnose and treat bipolar disorder as early as possible to help to reduce relapses and hospitalization.  According to researchers early intervention may avoid long term poor functioning in daily life of this debilitating disorder.

Individuals experiencing mania lose the ability of self awareness and do not recognize that they are ill. They may require treatment in the hospital to prevent self-destructive, impulsive, or aggressive behavior. Hospital stays vary due to the persons to medication; it may be 2 weeks to 6 months or more.

Many bipolar persons do not stay on their medications. When they start feeling good, in the manic episodes, they often feel that they do not need medication. Mania is the significant reason for not complying with their treatment plan. When mania strikes it is difficult to recall the times when there were either depressed or had a severe manic episode. The thought of reentering a hospital for outrageous behavior often can not be a factor in being consistent with medication. Unfortunately, many bipolars may have a few hospital stays before they finally learn that they have to take the medicine in order to stay well.

Then there are the ones who for reasons beyond their control are unresponsive to medication.  These people have to life with modified symptoms and taking a combination of medication that may have serious side effects.  Until the cure for bipolar disorder is found the disability rolls and hospitals will have an effect not only on the individual but society.