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Bipolar disorder is treated with 3 types of medicine: mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants (there is controversy surrounding the safety and efficiency of using antidepressants). Normally, an affected individual's treatment would consist of at least one mood-stabilizing drug and/or atypical antipsychotic with psychotherapy.
Most widely used drug for treatment: lithium carbonate Lithium carbonate reduces mania remarkably well, and it also combats depression well but not as much as it combats mania. As a result, lithium carbonate is given in conjunction with drugs that combat depression well (antidepressants). Valproic acid is a mood stabilizer that is usually used in conjunction with lithium carbonate Diagnostic Tests There are several ways that doctors diagnose bipolar disorder in people, but diagnosis is more difficult in children and adolescents (mood swings are already present at that age) and in people who already have other disorders.
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Sources
- Understanding Bipolar Disorder -- Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/understanding-bipolar-disorder-treatment#1
- Mayo Clinic Staff Print. (2017, February 15). Diagnosis. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/diagnosis/dxc-20307994