Mrs. Campbell English III Prep 4 February 2009 Understanding Bipolar Disorder Many times, people go to the doctors and only identify the depression symptoms and do not mention when they feel “high” on life (Bipolar 3). When a person is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, they begin treatment right away. Many times, the first medication the sufferer tries will not treat all symptoms of bipolar, causing medication treatments to change several times within the first year. According to GlaxoKlineSmith “a person with four or more episodes a year is harder to treat” (1). Along with medication, effectively treating bipolar disorder requires therapy. In therapy, the patient discusses thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They are severaly types of therapy; behavorial, social rhythm, interpersonal, and cognitive. Focusing on things to do to reduce stress, behavioral therapy is different from social rhythm therapy which helps develop and maintain daily routines. Interpersonal therapy involves relationships and tries to reduce the stress the illness may have on them, while cognitive therapy helps to learn to identify and control the patterns of thinking that contribute to manic and depressive moods. As any treatment is, ongoing therapy is important to help the victim control their mood swings (5). Although there are other options, such as electroconvulsive therapy, to help treat bipolar, medication and therapy have shown to be the most effective in controlling the disorder. With 5.7 million people diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the United States, it is becoming a growing problem that cannot be ignored. Bipolar disorder is a serious mood altering disease that many people misjudge as being a controllable disease. Understanding bipolar disorder will help others become more aware, and more helpful to those who suffer from this disease. Works Cited Aloi, Mara. “Bipolar disorder (Manic Depression) Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment.” 5 Oct. WebMD. 7 Jan. 2009. “Bipolar...