Living with bipolar disorder requires being on top of your therapy and medication regime. You need to keep in close contact with your therapist and psychiatrist. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that is best treated with medication. Therapy is crucial in conjunction with psychiatric intervention, but there’s significant evidence that medication can help mitigate the severity of bipolar disorder symptoms, including mania. It’s also crucial to have a plan to handle your manic episodes before they start by talking with your therapist and support system. Here’s how to prepare for and manage a manic episode.
First of all – what is mania?
Before getting into how to handle mania, it’s important to understand what it is. Mania is one state that a person with bipolar disorder experiences. If you have bipolar disorder type one, you will have manic episodes. When you live with bipolar disorder type II, you have what’s called hypomanic episodes. Here are the symptoms of mania:
- Feeling unusually elevated or upbeat
- Increased productivity or activity
- Having a lot of energy
- Feelings of grandiosity or self-confidence
- Euphoria
- Racing thoughts
- Insomnia (not sleeping for days at a time) or a decreased need for sleep (sleeping two-four hours a night for several days).
- Rapid speech, or being unable to wait your turn to talk
- Feeling extremely distracted
- Risky behavior including reckless driving, unsafe sex, or gambling
These are the symptoms of real mania. If a manic episode is left untreated, an individual could experience psychosis, including seeing or hearing things that aren’t there. It’s crucial to get treated for mania, and that includes preparing in advance for the episode.
Have a plan with your treatment team
When you have bipolar disorder, you will experience manic episodes. The key is preparing for these inevitable highs with your treatment team. It’s incredibly helpful to have a therapist you can talk to when you live with bipolar disorder. That person is your go-to when you’re coping with the condition. You can talk about the symptoms that you experience with mania in advance. If you know that you engage in gambling when you’re manic, for example, you can give your credit cards to a trusted loved one beforehand. If you engage in compulsive spending, you can do the same. It’s crucial to know your typical behavior during a manic episode so you can plan for it.
Medication and sleep
Your medications may need to be adjusted during mania. Your brain is in a different state, and you may have diverse needs from when you’re stable. Some people struggle with sleeping when they’re manic. It’s okay to talk to your doctor about this. Sleep is a crucial part of mental health. When you’re sleeping, you’re more apt to make better decisions. There’s much of a manic episode you can’t control, but you can talk to your providers about getting adequate sleep.
Decision-making
During a manic episode, you may struggle with making appropriate or safe decisions. It’s helpful to have a “safe” or trusted person to run things by before making choices. Remember that you’re not in a grounded state when you’re manic. If you’re considering spending a lot of money on something, traveling to a foreign country impulsively, or ending a relationship while manic, it’s best to run it by a trusted loved one. That person has your best interests at heart, and they can look at the situation in an impartial way. Maybe you don’t need to buy that $1500 electric guitar because it’s red and shiny and you need it now. Your safe person will advise you as to what could be a bad decision.
Getting help for bipolar disorder
One of the best ways to get help for mania is to see a therapist. If you suspect that you have bipolar disorder or you’ve been officially diagnosed, therapy can help. Whether you work with a therapist in your local area or see an online mental health professional, treatment can be a fantastic support to a person with bipolar disorder. Therapists understand the unique challenges that a person with bipolar faces. A therapist can advise you during a manic episode and help you make it through safely. Learn about the condition and consider working on yourself in mental health treatment. It’s well worth it for your quality of life.
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