Bipolar Disorder

Living with bipolar disorder’s never-ending cycle of shifts in mood from depression to mania is exhausting. At Sincere Psychiatry in Delray Beach, Florida, board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Reginald J. Sincere, PMHNP-BC, and his team offer compassionate support to people with bipolar disorder. They help you understand your condition and reduce mood swing severity using medication and psychotherapy. To discover how you could benefit from expert bipolar disorder treatment, call Sincere Psychiatry today or book an in-person or telemedicine appointment online. You can also walk in during regular business hours for prompt help.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition previously known as manic depression that causes severe mood swings. These include emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression).

When you become depressed, you feel sad and hopeless, losing interest in most activities and experiencing little or no pleasure in life. When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania (which is less extreme than mania), you may feel full of energy, euphoric, or unusually irritable.

These mood swings can affect your:

• Sleep
• Energy levels
• Activity
• Judgment
• Behavior  
• Thought processes

Mood swings may occur many times a year or only rarely. Most people experience emotional symptoms between episodes, but some may not.

What causes bipolar disorder?

It’s unclear why some people develop bipolar disorder. Patients often have family members with bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions, so there could be a genetic link. Your environment could also have an influence.

Bipolar disorder typically develops in older adolescents and young adults. It has three forms:

Bipolar I disorder

Bipolar I disorder is the most severe form. Mood swings are extreme, making daily life a continual struggle.

Bipolar II disorder

Bipolar II disorder features less extreme mania (hypomania) but equally severe depression.

Cyclothymia

Patients with cyclothymia tend to have more predictable shifts in mood and less severe symptoms.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition, but you can manage mood swings and other symptoms by following the Sincere Psychiatry team’s individually designed treatment plan.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

In most cases, bipolar disorder treatment combines medications and psychological counseling (psychotherapy).

Medications might include antidepressants and mood stabilizers such as lithium. These drugs reduce your symptoms’ severity and make your mood swings less extreme. Patients experiencing psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) might require antipsychotic medication.

Psychotherapy helps you talk through the challenges you face each day, better understand your condition, and process any issues worsening your depression.

The Sincere Psychiatry team offers personalized, holistic treatment to every patient, recognizing that no one is the same. The team takes an in-depth approach, looking at your past medical history, social history, and other influences on your mental health. They offer convenient telemedicine appointments in addition to in-person consultations.

Call Sincere Psychiatry today or book an appointment online for expert help managing your bipolar disorder.