Last Updated on December 16, 2021 by
Lets talk about Bipolar disorder treatment without medication. Knowing how to treat and help a bipolar is important if you have to live with that person, is your partner, mother, father, son or brother. Even more so if it is aggressive, it enters into a crisis or even if you have to see it constantly at work.
Bipolar disorder Treatment Without Medication is possible and undoubtedly it is a disease that can be very difficult to live with, since it usually produces a large number of alterations in the functioning of the person who suffers.
Bipolar Disorder Treatment Without Medication
However, it is a disorder that can be managed, and a person with this disease can achieve optimal functioning if he manages to control his symptoms and alterations well.
The best way you can treat these people is to put yourself in their place. Without empathy it is difficult to get the situation right and it is much easier to create conflicts. For this, I thought that I will give you advice as if you were that person bipolar, so you can put yourself in their place and use those same tips to treat them.
For example, if I say “explain your disorder to which you should tell”, it is understood that the advice is that you have a willingness to listen to the bipolar person.
10 Tips to Treat and Help a Bipolar Person
- Explain your disorder to whoever you should tell
- If you have bipolar disorder it is very likely that this is a subject that has you at least worried or restless.
- Should I tell it or should I not tell it? Who do I have to say I have bipolar disorder? How will people react by telling you?
- Actually there is no universal answer to these questions and there is no infallible method to be performed.
- Bipolar disorder is a disease, yes, but do you know someone who is presenting in the following way? “Hello, I am Jose and I have the irritable colon .”
Surely not, and is that sometimes explaining to everyone that you have a disease may be irrelevant or even inappropriate.
Usually, it is convenient to tell those people with whom you have a good relationship and trust enough: family, friends, couples, etc. If they know it, they will certainly understand you and can help you a great deal.
Explaining that you have bipolar disorder is how to explain something intimate about yourself, so it is important that you explain it to your closest people, but you do not have to systematically tell everyone.
Do not think “I’m bipolar” and people should know that I am so. You are not bipolar, have a bipolar disorder, but this disease is not part of your personality, so you are not obliged to tell people you do not have enough confidence.
- Remember your medication
Taking medication is possibly the most important action to take to control the disease.
Unfortunately, nowadays, psychoactive drugs are the only way to attenuate and control bipolar disorder altogether, so if you do not take them, your condition will worsen and possibly end up requiring hospitalization.
You probably think you do not need mediation, and in addition, if you do not take it, you will avoid those negative effects caused by the pills.
The reality is that no one can convince you that you need to medicate yourself better than yourself.
Observe what changes occur in your functioning when you stop taking the medications and draw your own conclusions.
If you notice that the medication is not going well for you and has many side effects consult your psychiatrist, he will know what modifications can be made to improve it.
- Beware of antidepressants
It is true that in bipolar disorder may suffer from depressive episodes, which are usually treated with antidepressants, as they increase mood.
However, you should avoid taking antidepressants if your psychiatrist has not previously prescribed it.
If you are in a depressive phase and your doctor has not prescribed antidepressants do not think that you have been wrong and that your way to improve is to take this type of drugs.
Antidepressants can be very dangerous in bipolar disorder as they can easily induce episodes of mania, especially if you do not take some mood stabilizer like lithium to counteract its effect.
- Do not miss visits with your doctor
It is very important that the treatment is controlled and decided by your psychiatrist, so you should never miss the visits you have scheduled.
The doctor who treats your bipolar disorder will be in charge of finding the best treatment for you, and will be an indispensable tool so that you can satisfactorily control your illness.
Do not be afraid to go to the visits in case you are prescribed more medication or if you “scold” you for not having taken it. Your psychiatrist will only help you manage bipolar disorder and manage the treatment that works best for you.
- Avoid drugs altogether
Drugs are harmful to anyone, and the advice to quit is not only useful for people with bipolar disorder, but for all people in general
The drug (including alcohol) can be especially dangerous if you suffer from bipolar disorder.
You can see how your friends drink alcohol or consume m@rijuana without anything seemingly important, but that does not mean that it will not happen to you.
And is that most drugs cause an increase of a substance called dopamine in the brain.
In manic outbreaks, a similar increase of dopamine occurs in the brain of the bipolar person, so if you consume any drug will increase the levels of that neurotransmitter in your brain, and the risk of suffering and / or aggravate a manic episode will be very high.
- Do physical activity
The practice of moderate physical exercise is highly recommended for the mental and physical health of any person.
In bipolar disorder, practicing sports can help you become less tense, less anxious, feel more energetic, and increase well-being.
However, it is not advisable to do it late in the day as it can prevent adequate sleep, so it is more beneficial to practice it in the morning or early afternoon.
Likewise, physical activity can be very beneficial when it is stable (neither manic nor depressive) or during the phases of mild-moderate depression.
However, if you notice that you may be starting a hippomanic, manic or mixed phase, it is advisable to suspend exercise for a while, as it could be harmful and make the episode worse.
- Monitor the stress
Try not to have very high levels of stress in your life as this can make it difficult to control bipolar disorder.
This does not mean that you have to eliminate all your expectations, or turn your life into something boring, without activity or without being able to do anything.
You can do the same things as a person who does not suffer from bipolar disorder as long as you are aware of your limits and do not overload your agenda of things.
Try to pursue an active but peaceful lifestyle, being aware of how far you can go.
- Control coffee consumption
Coffee is a stimulant drink that contains caffeine so it activates the nervous system and can cause anxiety or decrease sleep.
In this way, it is advised against drinking coffee when you suspect that you are starting a manic episode, hypomanic or mixed, because in those cases caffeine can become your worst enemy.
However, coffee can play a counterpart in the depressive phases, as it can help us “get started” and carry out an acceptable activity.
In periods of euthymia (when you are neither manic nor depressive), it is not advisable to exceed a couple of coffees (or drinks with caffeine) a day.
- Benefit from partnerships
Getting in touch with other people suffering from the same disease can be the ultimate key to stability in your life.
If you do, you will feel supported and understood, and you will see in the first person that you are not the only one suffering from bipolar disorder, since there are many people suffering from this disease.
Similarly, in associations you can receive a lot of information about bipolar disorder, and find advice to manage particular symptoms or difficult situations.
- Make It Easy
If you are not suffering from bipolar disorder and it is some family member who has this disease you should keep in mind that the treatment you provide will be a fundamental point for your well-being.
The first step to take is the one you are already starting to do if you have read this article, inform you about the disease, which will allow you to overcome many damages you may have about the disorder.
Afterwards, you should understand that when a person with bipolar disorder is correctly treated and without symptoms, nothing differentiates them from other people, so you should not treat it in a special way.
In moments when you are depressed, it is advisable to avoid phrases such as “cheer up” or “cheer up”, as even with good intentions, it can be counterproductive.
Likewise, comments such as “you are a bum” or “you are weak” should be avoided, and you must understand that it is really going wrong. The main objective should be to get involved in some activity or get something done.
When he is in a manic phase, try not to argue with him and try to make him see, without irritating him excessively, that he is suffering from a manic episode. If the relative admits his illness, offer support and accompany him to visit a psychiatrist.
What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorders are mood disorders characterized by life-long episodes of mania (or hypomania) followed by depressive (or mixed) episodes.
An episode of mania is defined for a period of time equal to or greater than one week in which an abnormal and persistently elevated mood characterized by euphoria, expansiveness or irritability occurs.
These three symptoms are often accompanied by excessively high self-esteem, beliefs about self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, disinhibition, and increased involvement in pleasurable activities.
Likewise, during these episodes it is usual to noticeably increase the amount of language (much talk), and there is an excessive influx of ideas in the consciousness.
Hypomania encompasses the same symptoms but at a lower intensity, and differs from mania by not provoking a clear deterioration in the socio-labor activities of the person.
Depressive episodes, on the other hand, are opposed to manic episodes, and are characterized by presenting for a minimum of 2 weeks a depressed mood, with sadness and loss of interest or ability to feel pleasure (as in a normal depression).
In some cases, the manic episode may be followed by a mixed episode rather than an episode of depression. This mixed episode is characterized by the simultaneous appearance of manic symptoms and depressive symptoms.
Thus, bipolar disorders are characterized by an extremely high mood, which is usually followed by an extremely low mood.
With this more than brief review on bipolar disorders, it is already connoted how difficult it is to coexist with an alteration of this type.
The bipolar patient lives constantly on a “roller coaster”, and finds it very difficult to find certain stability in his state of mind.
And is that the repercussions of bipolar disorder can be many and very diverse:
Sadness, lack of desire to do things, decay, inability to enjoy, and feeling tired, apathy, isolation, etc. in depressive episodes.
Euphoric and inappropriate behavior, decreased sense of risk, inability to reflect, disproportionate behaviors, increased irritability, confrontation or violence in manic episodes.
Thus, both the depressive episode and the manic episode, lead the way of thinking and behaving towards an extreme (or euphoria or depression), and greatly alter the functioning of the person.
Likewise, it is common for both episodes to appear delusions, whether delusional ideas of grandeur during mania, or delusions of guilt or punishment during depression.
All this translates into great difficulties in functioning, many personal problems, enormous obstacles to work, no well-being, permanently altered mood, multiple hospitalizations and high risk of suicide.
Thus, in order to be able to coexist with this disorder and to safeguard all its repercussions, it is very important to perform appropriate behaviors that manage to control the mood.
