Free Essay about Bipolar Disorder Foundations

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disease that results into profound shifts in the moods of an individual as well as the energy and the capacity to think clearly. Individuals who live with bipolar disorder undergo high and low mood swings which are referred to as mania and depression which is typically different from the regular mood swings most people experience. The average onset age for bipolar disorder is 25 years although there is the possibility of occurrence in teenagers and rarely found in children. The effects of the bipolar disorder occur equally in both men and women, and the diagnosis of the United States population is currently 2.6% suffering from this psychiatric disorder, and almost 83% of the diagnosis is considered to be in severe conditions (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). The National Alliance on Mental Illness has implemented strategic measures to enhance the treatment of bipolar disorder which include good treatment plans that involve psychopharmacology which is very important in the treatment of the bipolar disorder (NAMI, n.d.). The National Alliance on Mental Illness has implemented various strategies to enhance awareness of various mental illnesses and also recommended proper medication approaches for mental illnesses especially bipolar disorder.

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Contribution of Organization to Enhance Awareness of the Disorder

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), is one of the largest mental health administrations determined with enhancing the lives of several American citizens who suffer the effects of mental illnesses. NAMI has taken part in facilitating public awareness events and various functions which include the famous Mental Illness Awareness Week as well as the NAMI Walks which are collectively determined to reduce stigmatization and enhance understanding. NAMI also advocates for the reformation of various public policies for those who suffer from mental illnesses together with their families and provide the appropriate resources and skills that are vital for enhancing mental health. NAMI together with its affiliate organizations has established programs that they are rolling down to provide support to the citizens and families as well as the relevant information about community assets that can help stand against bipolar disorder as one of the psychiatric disorders. NAMI has been in the frontline to provide appropriate tips on how to individually deal with bipolar disorder and the awareness of how to equally help others to overcome the disorder (NAMI, n.d.).

Pharmacological Medications Recommended by Organization

Some of the psychopharmacology approaches for bipolar disorder recommended by NAMI include helping yourself because the condition of bipolar disorder is likely to exert control over the thoughts of an individual and interfere with the relationships of a person if proper treatment is not done. Therefore, the first step in helping oneself when suffering from bipolar disorder is to identify the stressors or triggers especially when there are particular times when you find yourself stressed. Generally, the surrounding can play a significant role in the stabilization of one's moods even though the symptoms of depression may start slowly and addressing them earlier enough because even though the recession may begin at a low pace, dealing with it, early enough can prevent future severe consequences. Some other ways include avoiding drugs and alcohol and implementing a routine that can help overcome and prevent such cases of depression based on previous experience.

There are various psychotherapeutic ways recommended by NAMI that can be used in the treatment of bipolar disorder because failure to treat bipolar disorder is likely to worsen the condition. One of the treatment methods is the cognitive behavioral therapy (CTB) which helps to transform the negative perception as well as the behaviors of an individual that are associated with depression. Cognitive behavioral psychoanalysis helps in the identification of undesirable thoughts and teaches coping strategies. Another type of psychotherapy also used by NAMI is the family-focused therapy which benefits people who have bipolar disorder to become knowledgeable regarding the disease and implement a strategy for treatment. These processes of psychoanalysis are dedicated to self-care and management of stress which helps an individual to enhance self-care, identify patterns of the commencement of the signs as well as stress management (NAMI, n.d.).

On the other hand, there are also different types of medication which are reviewed by the prescribing doctor because various kinds of bipolar disorder may react differently to certain types of medication. The side effects of the various remedies are likely to be different, and the discovery of the most appropriate drug may take time. Lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith) is one of the medicines which are useful in the stabilization of moods and behavior as well as the prevention of thrilling highs and lows of bipolar disorder (Miziou et al., 2015). However, some of the precautions that are observed when using the lithium medication are that periodic blood tests are conducted for the reason that lithium is a potential cause of thyroid and kidney problems (Miziou et al., 2015). On the same note, some of the common side effects of the medication often include restlessness, dry mouth as well as digestive issues. Therefore, the medication levels of lithium should be monitored with extreme care to guarantee the most appropriate prescription and equally watch for venomousness. Lithium is usually used as a continuous process of treatment for bipolar disorder as well as for the prevention of relapse (Chatterton et al., 2017). Consequently, research has shown that lithium reduces the threat possibilities of perversity even though the FDA has not approved such scientific claims.

Another form of medication that is used for the treatment of bipolar disorder is the use of anticonvulsants because various medicines that are used for the treatment of confiscations are also used as attitude stabilizers. However, some of the common side effects of anticonvulsants include weight gain, wooziness together with sleepiness even though some anticonvulsants often cause severe problems which include skin rashes, blood illnesses and even occasionally liver complications. Drugs such as valproic acid and carbamazepine are useful in the treatment of mania even though they also used in the treatment of epilepsy because they are equally operational as lithium in the treatment of acute desire. The two drugs above have recorded a possibility to be more operative than lithium in the management of more complex bipolar patients who suffer from prompt cycling and dysphoric mania together with the abuse of co-morbid. Finally, lamotrigine is essential in the suspension of the occurrence of bipolar I disorder even though it does not have the endorsement of the FDA for the cure of extreme incidents of despair of mania. Research regarding the use of lamotrigine in the treatment of acute bipolar depression has produced unreliable results (Goodwin et al., 2016).

The other prescription is second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) which are usually used for the treatment of symptoms of bipolar disorder and are frequently used together with other forms of medicine which include mood stabilizers. SGAs are usually used for the treatment of mixed episodes or manic. Commonly, this form of therapy is prescribed to help with the control of extreme events of mania or depression, and there is no scientific prescription of the exact medication because it varies depending on the individual. The SGAs that are currently used for the treatment of bipolar disorder are quetiapine together with the combination of olanzapine and fluoxetine hence it is significant to confirm with the doctor to get the right medication (Goodwin et al., 2016).

Consequently, other treatments include antidepressants which provide particular anxieties when utilized in the treatment of bipolar disorder because they can initiate desire in other individuals. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted a research that showed that the use of antidepressants as a mood preservative is no different from using an attitude stabilizer for the therapy purposes of bipolar I. Finally, the use of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) can also be regarded as an intermediation for acute mania or depression. ECT includes the transmission of diminutive electrical compulsions into the brain and is an extremely operative form of therapy for unembellished grief, mania or mixed experiences because it is set aside to indications that have not reacted to other types of cure (Goodwin et al., 2016).

Role of Therapist in the Continuum of Care for the Client

The role of the therapist in the continuous care of the client with bipolar disorder is to facilitate the therapy process and help the client cope with other people. The therapist helps the client through the treatment process by discussing the feelings, ideas and even the behaviors that cause the problems to the patient. The therapist is also responsible for providing encouragement and sharing of concerns with the clients because the clients who have bipolar disorder are likely to feel isolated. The therapist is also equally responsible for helping the client as well as the family members to understand the illness and share their concerns and learn the most suitable ways to support their loved ones who suffer from bipolar disorder. Consequently, the therapist is responsible for educating the patients and the family members so that they benefit from learning about the disease by knowing its symptoms together with the various appropriate types of medication and treatment (Miziou et al., 2015).

On the other hand, the therapist is responsible for facilitating the interpersonal therapy of the clients by focusing on their relationships and helps them enhance their relationship with people who matter in their lives. The essence of the therapist in interpersonal therapy is to help reduce stress in their life by focusing on the interpersonal problems and establishing solutions for the issues. The therapist can also facilitate the social rhythm therapy which is sometimes combined with interpersonal treatment to facilitate the treatment of the bipolar disorder (Nienhuis at al., 2018). The therapist facilitates the process of therapy by establishing critical and healthy communication strategies to relieve patients with bipolar disorder.

Establishing a therapeutic alliance with clients with mental disorders especially bipolar disorder is a challenging concept which is equally essential in the therapy process. Research has shown that building a therapeutic agreement with a client is one of the most flexible ways of determining the outcomes of a treatment process in psychotherapy. Popular techniques and approaches of psychotherapy vary and are diverse depending on the type of counselors. However, the potential effectiveness of any psychotherapy depends on a strong therapeutic alliance with a client. According to Carl Rodgers, four items directly determine the relationship between the client and the therapist, and he emphasized that the counsellor must be honorably involved in a therapeutic association and has unconditional positive regard for the patient. The therapist must also be empathetic and have clear communication strategies of the attitudes with the client (Nienhuis at al., 2018).

Therefore, considering the ideas by Carl Rodgers, the best way to foster a resilient therapeutic association with the patient is to enhance the various dimensions of counseling which include the goal consensus between the patient and the therapist, the collaboration on tasks that are related to counseling and th...