Are Mood Swings Getting In The Way Of A Healthy, Manageable Life?
If you live with bipolar disorder, you may feel frustrated that sudden shifts in mood continue to negatively impact how you think, feel, and behave. Despite being on medication and/or trying other interventions, including therapy, you may be feeling hopeless that you will ever be able to manage your symptoms.
Whether you struggle with bipolar I, bipolar II, or cyclothymia–or any issue that exist on the bipolar continuum–it’s possible that mood swings and changes in your energy levels have cast a ripple into every part of your life. Alongside spurts of energy and euphoria come periods of intense irritability, anxiety, and depressive, hopeless thoughts. Shame follows angry outbursts, conflict with others, and a sense that your behaviors are out of your control. The end result of these feelings is the “crash” that many with mood disorders experience.
As a therapist who specializes in bipolar and other mood disorders, I understand that this condition is cyclical and exists on a spectrum—your experience of bipolar is unique, so your treatment should be too. Working together in therapy, we can better understand your mood cycles and increase your coping strategies.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder?
When seeking treatment for bipolar disorder, it’s important to work with someone who understands the subtle nuances between the symptoms of bipolar and those of other mood disorders. These conditions can often be misdiagnosed or overlooked due to their similarities:
Depression (which may include Major Depression or Unipolar Depression) – consistent “low” periods that do not include mania and hypomania
Cyclothymia – a rare mood disorder that is characterized by an inability to maintain a consistent baseline of moods; mood swings are not as extreme as those associated with bipolar I or II
Bipolar II – less severe than bipolar I by comparison but includes hypomanic (feeling “up”) and depressive episodes; bipolar II is often misdiagnosed as depression
Bipolar I – characterized by severe mania (including impulsive behaviors, spikes in energy, and grandiosity) that can turn into psychosis if left untreated
All of these diagnoses can be managed with proper medication, lifestyle changes, and/or therapeutic treatment interventions, but it’s essential to work with providers who understand the subtle differences between these conditions.
Effective Treatment Is Vital For Individuals Living With Bipolar
Though less frequent than other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, 10 million Americans across the spectrum of age, race, and socioeconomic status are diagnosed as bipolar every year. [1]
If left untreated—whether due to misdiagnosis or lack of supportive healthcare—those with bipolar disorder are at a much higher risk of mental health crises. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently published a study showing that 19 percent of bipolar individuals die by suicide, while at least 50 percent of those who struggle will make a non-fatal suicide attempt in their lives. [2]
Providers should understand the nuances of bipolar disorder, including the many factors leading to the development of the disorder that are simply out of our control. The current understanding is that bipolar disorder has genetic roots that can be triggered by environmental factors, including stress, trauma, early attachments, and hormonal changes.
Unfortunately, however, it’s common for those with bipolar to blame themselves for their moods and hide away in shame. Low periods of depression and irritability can result in an avoidance of others, perpetuating the isolation that so often accompanies the bipolar experience.
My goal as a therapist is to support and validate you on your journey. Counseling can offer you outside perspectives that will help you better identify triggers and solutions. And together, we can initiate a new sense of stability in your life.
Open Circle Counseling Offers Individualized Treatment For Bipolar Disorder
My approach to bipolar disorder treatment is eclectic and individualized to your needs. (*Please note that I ask that clients with a bipolar I diagnosis be on medication, and I am happy to provide a referral to a prescriber if needed.) In addition to working with clients who have a clinical diagnosis of bipolar I or II, I work with those who sense that their moods occur on a cycle or that past diagnoses of anxiety or depression don’t fit quite right.
Treating symptoms on a spectrum, my approach to therapy for bipolar disorder acknowledges nuance and can offer insights that may not be accessible via other interventions. With newfound perspectives, you will develop a better understanding of yourself and your needs.
What To Expect
Using a combination of behavioral therapies, creative exercises, and holistic lifestyle changes, my goal is to help you discover a neutral middle ground that feels much more sustainable than a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I will also incorporate psychoeducation to help you understand the cycle of bipolar so you can better anticipate and manage your symptoms.
Some of the bipolar disorder interventions I incorporate are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – allows you to understand the difference between when you’re spiraling into depression or mania so you know which skills to engage
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – teaches mindfulness and distress tolerance skills so that you can manage triggers
Body-based approaches – including breathing, relaxation, and stress management exercises that will help you stay present and build up your ability to focus
Expressive Arts Therapy – tapping into the nonlinear process of creativity to promote nonverbal expression, flexibility, and self-trust while reminding you of your inherent inner gifts and strengths
No matter how severe or helpless you feel your symptoms have become, there is a way out of the cycle. Therapy provides you with a lifelong toolkit for managing your baseline and moods so that you can live with more balance, ease, and satisfaction.
Still Unsure If Therapy Is Right For You?
I haven’t had success with therapists who specialize in bipolar disorder in the past—how do I know that treatment with you will be different?
I absolutely understand how important it is to foster a supportive, beneficial connection with your therapist, which is why I encourage all prospective clients to set up a consultation call with me. Hopefully, this call will give you a sense of my personality and communication style.
If you decide to take the next step, we will schedule a first appointment during which we will discuss your goals for therapy and how my unique, eclectic, mind-body approach to treatment is particularly helpful for managing bipolar symptoms.
It may also be helpful to consider that I myself have a bipolar II diagnosis. Although I have not walked in your exact shoes, I know what it is like to live with the impact of a mood disorder. I am passionate about helping others discover their specific type of mood challenge, offering insight on how they may be able to manage and control symptoms, and researching the most up-to-date treatment interventions.
I’m worried that even if I go to therapy, my symptoms will just get worse.
When working with clients with bipolar, I like to use the metaphor of steppingstones—I believe that small “wins” or changes are the key to making big shifts. I have confidence that therapy can help you build those steppingstones to cross the water. And if you fall, I’m here to throw you a lifeline.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong experience and like any mood disorder, symptoms are cyclical. There will be times when you don’t feel like you’re progressing, but the function of treatment is to offer you lifelong tools and “a second set of eyes” to help you anticipate and manage symptoms. I’m also happy to collaborate with fellow providers to reinforce treatment interventions if you are also working with a prescriber or physician to ensure that you are receiving the most thorough, coordinated care possible.
Sometimes I don’t even know how to describe what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling—how can therapy help me then?
Not all therapy has to be talk therapy, and, in fact, this is precisely the situation where expressive arts and body-based approaches can be helpful. We will use creative exercises to help you explore your emotions beyond words, and mindfulness exercises can be incorporated when words feel overwhelming.
Additionally, I have a wide variety of books, videos, and articles I can share to help you find the vocabulary you need to describe your moods, emotions, and thoughts so you can better understand your experience.
Your Moods Do Not Define You
If you struggle with bipolar disorder, treatment through Open Circle Counseling can help you achieve a new baseline for your mental health. You are not alone in this, and stability is possible. Contact me to find out more about my approach.
[1] https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-whos-at-risk
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