Bipolar II disorder is characterized by hypomanic and depressive episodes and is less severe than bipolar I disorder. The treatments are less intensive than treatments for bipolar I disorder; however, this mental health disorder can wreak havoc on a person's life and deserves serious attention. Someone with this disorder has intense highs and lows which can affect his ability to maintain a steady job, be available to friends and family and maintain healthy relationships.
Medication
Most of the time medications are recommended to help someone with this disorder stabilize her mood. The most common types of medication prescribed for bipolar II disorder are mood stabilizers which include lithium, depakote and lamictal. These medications help to reduce hypomanic symptoms as well as depressive symptoms. If someone doesn't respond to mood stabilizers, a psychiatrist might try anitpsychotics or antidepressants. Each person responds to medications differently, so it can take several attempts before finding the right medication or combination of medications to treat bipolar II disorder. A patient should work with her doctor or psychiatrist to find the right medication. Medications help to prevent future hypomanic and depressive episodes and are a critical piece to successful treatment.
Psychotherapy
People who struggle with this mental health disorder usually need long-term medication and psychotherapy treatments to cope with the symptoms. Some forms of psychotherapy used to treat bipolar II disorder include cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy and group therapy. When someone experiences the symptoms of this disorder, all family members are affected, so it's important to include them in therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapists help someone with this disorder see how his thoughts affect his emotions which then affect his behaviors. For example, someone suffering from a depressive episode might have thoughts that things will never change which will lead to feelings of hopelessness which might cause the person to stay in bed all day. The therapist would work with the person to learn how to have better control over his thoughts which will help to reduce the symptoms of the disorder.
Education
One of the most important treatment techniques that therapists use is psychoeducation to teach patients about their disorder. The more they learn about the affects and symptoms of bipolar II disorder, the more aware they'll become when they need additional help. If a person can realize when her symptoms are increasing, she can call her doctor to tweak her medication and her therapist to squeeze in an extra session that week. Through education, people learn how to manage their symptoms such as insomnia, trouble concentrating and irritability.
