Bipolar Disorder

You may have been diagnosed by a professional with bipolar disorder (previously known as manic depression), or you might just suspect that you have this problem. During our first session, I will thoroughly assess you and we will discuss your diagnosis. I will help assist you in understanding this difficulty and, if you don’t have one, I can refer you to a psychiatrist for medication management.

Here are some signs that you may be suffering from bipolar disorder:

• You have long periods of feeling ok, but then you may feel very hyper for a few days to a few weeks.  The hyper periods may be rare—once every year or so.
• During hyper periods, you may feel great—better than ever.  You may be full of energy and not need much sleep.  You feel good about yourself and you feel very productive and creative.  You have so many ideas that you hardly notice that you’re not finishing much of anything.  You may be impulsive with money, sex or risky behavior.
• Some people, however, feel irritable during hyper periods.
• You may also have very severe periods of depression.  These probably last for a few weeks.  You feel very severely depressed, and have difficulty getting out of bed and doing your usual activities.

Psychotherapy is an important part of treatment for bipolar disorder. Bipolar symptoms can cause people to lose confidence in their ability to maintain a stable relationship, lifestyle or job. Rebuilding life after a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be a challenge, but I’ll be happy to be there to help you along the way. You can have a healthy and emotionally stable life.

To learn more, check out these links:

National Institute of Mental Health on Bipolar Disorder

Mayo Clinic on Bipolar Disorder

Please contact me if you are interested in learning more at 773-859-1822 or e-mail me.