Retooling your thoughts and Relationships

Some psychiatrists and mental-health activists describe bipolar disorder as a mental illness cause by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Although this is true, it doesn´t mean that if you repair the chemical imbalance through medication, you eliminate the illness for good.

Unfortunately, bipolar disorder is much more complicated than that. Yes, balancing brain chemistry is essential, but your brain doesn´t live in a petri dish. it lives inside your body. It registers what your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and fingers perceive. It processes your interactions with others and generates your emotions and thoughts. In short, your experiences influence your brain as much as your brain influences your experiences. And both your brain and your experiences affect your moods.

Bathing your brain in the right mix of medications helps it maintain normal function, but if you and those around you assault your brain with negative emotions, conflict, and sleep deprivation, no combination of medications can possibly overcome the stress.

In addition to proper medications, you need to receive the right therapy or combination of therapies, such as the following to reduce the impact of stress on your brain:

Psychoeducation: Finding out about bipolar disorder often helps patients become comfortable with the diagnosis, hopeful about the prognosis, and more willing and able to adhere to the treatment plan.

Cognitive therapy: Identifies negative thought patterns and teaches your mind to follow a positive train of thought.

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy: living a structured lifestyle and establishing healthy routines can give your life a rhythm that´s conducive to mood stability. Studies show that mood episodes commonly erupt when you experience stressful life changes that break down your natural rhythms and often lead to loss of sleep. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy strives to restore the rhythm to your life.

Couples therapy: A rocky relationship with your main squeeze can whip your emotions into a frenzy if your significant other is abusive. Couples therapy addresses areas of conflict and helps couples establish effective communication techniques that reduce stress.

Family therapy: If you live in the same house or spend a lot of time with family members, educating them about bipolar disorder and your needs is essential to your mental health. The more your family members know about bipolar disorder and the stressors that can trigger major mood episodes, the more they can do to help alleviate stress and support you in your journey toward recovery.

Financial counseling: Money doesn´t matter only to people who have plenty of it. For most of us, a lack of sufficient funds can be a prime source of stress and conflict. A good financial adviser may be able to help you manage your finances.

Career coaching: if your job is killing you. You may need a change. Being stuck in a deal job with a jerk for a boss isn´t conductive to mental health. Maybe you can´t up and quit right away, but you can start looking around. A career coach or counselor can help you find healthier employment.

Lifestyle changes: Steamlining your life can alleviate the stress that comes with owning and maintaining too much. A good therapist can help you avoid overcommitting your time and resources.

Although medication is an essential component to recovery, it alone can´t always overcome the fundamental problems that trigger mood episodes. You may not be able to eliminate all sources of stress. But the more stress you can eliminate or reduce, the better your chances of avoiding a relapse .

Source:
Bipolar Disorder,Candida Fink, MD-Joe Kraynak