BIPOLAR AND PSYCHOTHERAPY: The Other Part of Recovery

Taking a pill is not the only solution to bipolar disorder. Though the need for biochemical treatment to offset the imbalance of human chemistry is key, it does not alone insure a complete resolution of symptoms. Acceptance of a mental disability and attention to the social consequences of bipolar dysfunction is critical to living a life impacted by manic and depressive impulses.

Along with the ravages of personal dysfunction, which is a hallmark of bipolar disorder, there are the aftershocks of behavior that are often tumultuous for personal relationships. Hypersexuality, which can be a consequence of a manic excess, affects your relationship with your partner and/or your image of yourself. Guilt and embarrassment follow in the aftermath. So, too, financial misbehavior affects your functioning, sometimes for years to come. Grandiosity, when finally brought to ground, disrupts the connection we have with others close to us. In short, there is a need for mending fences with those near to us, as well as ourselves. Simply rebalancing the biochemistry is not going to address what we do now to reclaim our lives. That is where counseling and psychotherapy come into the picture.

Sitting down with a therapist and sorting out our feelings about having a mental illness can go a long way toward reducing the stigma we often experience within ourselves and from others. Clearing away the debris of a life lived without restraint, unleashed and unapologetic, can only be addressed by a thoughtful coming to terms with our excesses in a therapeutic environment.

Support from a friend or family member is helpful to recovery. Often, however, the deeper feelings of self-loathing and regret for episodic excess can only be addressed with someone trained in the art of listening objectively and offering perspective untainted by personal biases. This is true of both depressive and manic occurrences.

A therapist at his best is an ally and advocate, someone who can be there for you. Whether education, support, or analysis is called for, a therapist can pave the way for your acceptance and understanding. He can also be a bridge between dysfunction and redeeming your life.

Sometimes we need a guiding hand. Psychotherapy is that step-up. Along with medication it is our strongest antidote to the confusion and chaos that often results from an illness gone awry. Reach out for a fuller recovery for yourself and your loved ones. You needn’t be alone as you traverse the road to recovery. Sometimes you need an honest broker to hold up a mirror to yourself; sometimes you need a caring listener to set your fears at rest; and sometimes you need the support of an ally to walk with you for awhile, someone who can help you find the answers to your inner turmoil and confusion. As a friend of mine once said, “Don’t be afraid to call the doctor if there’s nobody else at home.”

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