Living With Bipolar Disorder

When you have bipolar disorder, it can sometimes seem hard to lead a stable life. Episodes of illness can affect your ability to handle work, home, relationships, or finances. Talk to your doctor about treatment options.

Below are some ways that people with bipolar disorder have found helpful in managing the illness. These steps do not replace your medicine, but they can help it to work better—and help you feel better.

Stay informed
Learning about bipolar disorder is one of the most important things you can do to manage the illness. You can stay informed by visiting Web sites like this one and using the many tools and educational resources available to you. Learning about bipolar disorder can also help you partner more successfully with the healthcare professionals who help manage your care.

Consider therapy
Many doctors suggest combining medicine with some form of talk therapy.

This can help you:

• Understand current or past episodes of illness
• Accept and adapt to a long-term treatment schedule
• Recognize and deal with stress
• Manage family or other relationships
• Function in the workplace or school
• Deal with other people’s understanding of bipolar disorder

Remember the importance of getting a good night’s sleep
Getting enough sleep can help keep your mood stable. And missing sleep can have a negative effect on your thinking processes. Studies show that lack of sleep can lead to faulty decision-making, more risk-taking, and difficulty staying focused.

You may have sleep problems—sleeping not enough or too much—as a part of your illness.

Here are some other things that may cause sleep problems:

• Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol. Try to avoid them so you can sleep better
• Not getting enough exercise
• Some medications may cause drowsiness

Disturbances in your sleep can mean something else is wrong. If they continue, talk to your doctor.

Get help for addiction
Addiction to drugs or alcohol is, in itself, a serious mental illness that may require treatment. Addiction can also make bipolar symptoms seem worse. It can interfere with how your bipolar medicine works in your body. And it can make it more difficult for you to follow your treatment plan. If you are dealing with addiction in addition to your bipolar disorder, reach out to your doctor for help.

Keep a mood-tracking diary
Your doctor may ask you to keep a mood-tracking diary to record your moods each day and how they affect you.

• Record your moods at the same time every day
• Discuss any disturbing mood trends with your doctor or someone you trust

Get immediate help in emergencies
People with bipolar disorder—and their loved ones—should know that there are times when they may need medical attention right away. This may mean calling 911 or going to an emergency room.

Have a crisis plan
It’s important to have a plan that guides family and friends on what to do if you have a severe episode. A plan could include:

• Names and phone numbers of doctors and pharmacies
• Medication names and dosages, mood-tracking and progress diaries, etc
• Responsibilities for children, pets, and bill paying
• Notification of employer
• Insurance information (plans and coverage, approved providers, etc)

Learn to recognize early warning signs of a manic or mixed episode
Call your doctor right away if you think you are going to have a manic episode. There are many signs that a person with bipolar disorder may be heading for a manic episode. These include:

• Feeling overly irritable
• Feeling overly happy
• Needing less sleep
• Engaging in reckless behaviors, such as:
  • Spending sprees
  • Risky sex
  • Increased alcohol or drug use

Be aware of suicide risk
If you are having thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself, please call your doctor immediately and seek help in dealing with these feelings. If you cannot reach your doctor call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

NEXT: Myths and Facts About Bipolar Disorder