Bipolar Depression Treatments

Bipolar depression is a major depression tempered with manic episodes. Unlike most depressions, bipolar disorder is not solely emotion-based; rather, a chemical imbalance in the brain influences the emotions and behaviors of affected patients. While doctors are working to develop new treatments for bipolar depression, several options are currently available, from the standard to the more homeopathic.

Mental Therapy

As the first course of action, if you have bipolar depression you will be referred to a mental health counselor or psychologist. In therapy patients learn about bipolar disorder and are taught coping techniques. You and the therapist will work together to track the ebb and flow of the disorder. This helps to determine if there are patterns or triggers related to either your manic or depressive swings. Finding a pattern may help to prevent future episodes and will sometimes lead to complete recovery.

Medication

Bipolar depression is the result of a chemical problem in the brain. For this reason bipolar depression, more so than many other major depressions, is well-managed with medication. Several types of medication are currently being used: mood stabilizers to prevent mood swings, antidepressants to ward off depressive lows and antipsychotics to prevent manic highs.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Although rare, some doctors still rely on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to augment the way the chemicals in the brain work. ECT involves sending powerful electrical waves through the brain to induce a small seizure. According to the Mayo Clinic, ECT can be used to treat severe depression with suicidal thoughts or manic episodes that do not respond to medicine.

Supplements

As more people are diagnosed with bipolar depression there is a growing call for natural treatments. Some people have found degrees of success with dietary supplements. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance reports that omega-3 fatty acids, St. John's Wort and SAM-e are among the most promising supplements that have shown some improvement of symptoms in clinical tests.

Lifestyle

Often therapy leads those with bipolar depression to seek treatment through lifestyle changes. Limiting stress can be a major part of treating bipolar disorder. Stress can be reduced by getting exercise, talking with an empathetic friend and getting a good night's rest. It is also thought that overall health leads to good mental health. Therefore, along with reducing stress you should take extra strides to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet.