Bipolar Disorder

My Approach

I spe­cial­ize in treat­ing the bipo­lar spec­trum (Bipo­lar I, Bipo­lar II, and oth­er relat­ed dis­or­ders).  Psy­chother­a­py for bipo­lar dis­or­ders is often a col­lab­o­ra­tive process between you, your ther­a­pist, and your psy­chi­a­trist.  Treat­ment for symp­toms of mania, hypo­ma­nia, and depres­sion is cru­cial, as well as devel­op­ing ways to cope with stres­sors and man­age your dai­ly living.

Bipo­lar spec­trum dis­or­ders affect:

• The qual­i­ty, sta­bil­i­ty, and inten­si­ty of your mood and your ener­gy level
• Your abil­i­ty to pay atten­tion, to remem­ber, and to orga­nize information

Com­bined, these mood-reg­u­la­tion and infor­ma­tion-pro­cess­ing prob­lems affect your moti­va­tion and functioning.

The most cur­rent think­ing among experts views bipo­lar dis­or­ders along a spec­trum.  This means that at one end is Major Depres­sion (some­times called unipo­lar depres­sion) and at the oth­er side is Bipo­lar Dis­or­der. There are many points in between, which include Bipo­lar 1 and Bipo­lar 2 Dis­or­der.  With this per­spec­tive, it has become clear that bipo­lar spec­trum dis­or­ders are much more com­mon than doc­tors had pre­vi­ous­ly real­ized.  Some mood experts think it might be about one-third of all ver­sions of depres­sion. Bipo­lar Dis­or­ders are genet­ic as well as stress-relat­ed disorders.

It can be quite dif­fi­cult to pin­point a diag­no­sis of Bipo­lar Dis­or­der. Research shows that the aver­age length of time from when you first approach a doc­tor to when you get a cor­rect diag­no­sis is about ten years! See­ing a ther­a­pist who spe­cial­izes in bipo­lar and oth­er mood dis­or­ders, and keeps abreast of the lat­est research, will hope­ful­ly short­en this timeframe.

Specifics

In the con­text of an accept­ing and non-judg­men­tal rela­tion­ship where you feel safe and sup­port­ed, we will work togeth­er to help you:

•  Man­age the mood symp­toms you are experiencing
•  Under­stand and accept the ratio­nale for your medication/s
•  Main­tain a good rela­tion­ship with your doctor/psychiatrist
•  Iden­ti­fy and reduce stres­sors that may neg­a­tive­ly impact your symptoms
•  Find cop­ing strate­gies to man­age these stressors
•  Move toward high­er func­tion­ing and greater pro­duc­tiv­i­ty between episodes
•  Enhance your inde­pen­dence and sense of empow­er­ment over your life
•  Repair any dam­age done after a man­ic or depres­sive episode

Please email me to find out more, or text my office at 408–550-5101.