Types of treatment for bipolar disorder fall into two broad categories: psychosocial treatment and pharmacological treatment.  Within each category are many choices.  Psychosocial treatments include individual therapies, group therapies, vocational services, family/couples therapies, as well as others.  Further, there are different types of individual therapies, such as supportive, insight-oriented, or cognitive-behavioral.  THere are also various levels of treatment settings, ranging from private practice settings, outpatient clinic settings, day treatment or partial hospital programs, and inpatient treatment.

Pharmacological treatment involves the use of medications from various groups, such as anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or anxiolytics.  Psychotropic medicines are primarily used in psychiatric care for the treatment of mental disorders, including bipolar disorder.  Many medications are utilized in other medical areas as well, such as the use by neurologists of antiseizure medications (anticonvulsants), which have been found to be afficacious in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

As part of an evaluation, your clinician will consider the most appropriate treatment plan for your bipolar illness.  In part, the intervention will be based upon the phase of the illness, such as depressed, manic, or mixed.  The first determination will be whether the illness can be managed acutely in the outpatient setting or best as an inpatient.  Manic phases often require hospitalization unless caught relatively early.  For severe bipolar depression, hospitalization may also be required if there is a risk for suicide.  Patients in an acute mixed state are at particular risk for suicide due to the depression along with the impulsivity of mania.  If deemed appropriate for outpatient stabilization, medication will likely be recommended along with psychotherapy.  If a clinician other than a psychiatrist makes your diagnosis, he or she will likely refer you to a psychiatrist for medication consultation.

The type of therapy chosen for treatment can depend upon many factors such as cost, duration, or patient fit.  Psychosocial interventions commonly used for bipolar disorder are cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, family therapy, interpersonal, and interpersonal social rhythm therapy.  Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people with bipolar disorder learn to change inappropriate or negative thought patterns and behaviors associated with the illness.  Psychoeducation serves to reach people with bipolar disorder about the illness and its treatment, and how to recognize signs of illness and its treratment, and how to recognize signs of relapse so that early intervention can be sought before relapse occurs.  Family therapy uses strategies to reduce the level of distress within the family that may either contribute to or result from the ill person's symptoms and can provide psychoeducation for the family members.  Interpersonal social rhythm therapy helps people with bipolar disorder both to improve interpersonal relationships and to regularize their daily routines.  Frequency of psychotherapy typically starts at once per week but may be more or less often depending on your individual needs or therapy type.  Frequency may be increased around acute episodes.  Family involvement is important as part of the therapy in bipolar disorder, as family members need to be aware of and able to inform the clinician of any signs of relapse.

Again, as part of the treatment plan, the treatment setting also needs to be determined.  Most individuals can be treated in private office settings or oupatient clinic settings.  Sometimes, a higher level of structure is needed in which more services can be provided, on a daily basis, such as in a day treatment program.  If impairments are severe, or safety is in question, hospitalization may be warranted.