Newest Treatments for Bipolar

What exactly is bipolar disorder? A book on mental disorders describes it in three steps. Bipolar one is usually called manic depression and has been recognized since the last century. It has deep periods of depression, and then periods of euphoria. Bipolar two is where the swing in moods differs from bipolar one. The upswing never seems to get quite as high as it does in one. Two is a more subtle form of the illness. Bipolar three is a person displaying some signs of bipolar, but not enough to be classified as a one or two.

Experts agree that medication and therapy must work hand in hand to help patients overcome or control their bipolar disorder. The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) states new treatments are not necessarily the best just because they are new. Lithium may be an effective treatment for one patient and not for another.

Most of the new medications were anti-convulsants that were used to treat epilepsy. These are now being tested on bipolar patients in clinical studies. Recently, a lot of success has been found using a trio of drugs named Lamictal, Neuroatim, and Topamax in treating bipolar problems. However, no major studies have been done on these medications as they relate specifically to bipolar disorder.

There are also some natural remedies for sale, but they are not directly linked to treating bipolar, and therefore the results are inconclusive. St. John’s wort has been well studied for relieving depression, but again, there has been less research done on its specific effects on bipolar.