Bipolar Disorder

Adults and children with bipolar disorder suffer from mood swings that cycle endlessly between depression and mania. If you or your child has bipolar disorder symptoms, reach out to Leon Sankofa, Sr., MSW, at Family & Youth Foundations in Hampton and Danville, Virginia. Leon and his team have extensive experience supporting people of all ages struggling with bipolar disorder. Call Family & Youth Foundations today or book an appointment online for expert bipolar disorder treatment.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a disabling psychiatric condition that most often begins causing problems in the late teen years or early adulthood. It sometimes develops in younger children.

People with bipolar disorder experience shifts in mood that are often dramatic. In one cycle, they’re deeply depressed; in the next, they’re hyperactive and overexcitable. These mood changes continue in an exhausting loop.

There’s no cure yet for bipolar disorder. But with expert support from the Family & Youth Foundations team, you or your child can manage mood swings more effectively.

What symptoms does bipolar disorder cause?

Depression causes intense sadness, desperation, self-loathing, and many other negative feelings. Other symptoms include:

• Losing interest in pleasurable activities
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Reduced appetite
• Lack of energy
• Difficulty concentrating
• Poor decision-making
• Feeling guilt and shame
• Odd aches and pains
• Always assuming the worst

When depression switches to mania, your energy levels rise considerably. You feel ready for anything, have little need for sleep, and take on excessive or complex tasks. You might act out of character, involving yourself in high-risk activities and giving in to impulses. When the mania fades, depression returns, and you feel ashamed of your manic behavior.

Some people have bipolar I disorder, which causes severe depression and mania. Those with bipolar II disorder also experience severe depression, but mania tends to be less extreme. A third disorder, cyclothymia, causes milder symptoms that happen more predictably.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

Bipolar disorder (especially types I and II) usually require medication. Antidepressants help by increasing chemical activity in the brain’s mood center. Mood stabilizers like lithium stop your switches from depression to mania from being so severe. The Family & Youth Foundations team works with your primary care provider to ensure that you get the needed medications.

Talk therapy can also help. It enables you to process past problems so that they don’t affect your mental health. You can also learn behavioral techniques that help you manage your moods and their effects on your daily life.

At Family & Youth Foundations, the team specializes in using hypnotherapy. They help you enter a deeply relaxed state where it’s easier for your mind to express itself and take in new information. With hypnotherapy, you don’t lose control of your actions and thoughts; instead, you better manage the undesirable ones.

Call Family & Youth Foundations today or book an appointment online to find peace from the exhausting depression/mania cycle of bipolar disorder.