By definition, bipolar disorder includes extreme mood shifts that bounce from one pole to the other — between high-energy mania and low-energy depression.
Getting a correct diagnosis is critical to ensure proper treatment: Treating bipolar disorder is unique due to the extreme shifts in mood. It requires mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, as opposed to standard antidepressant drugs. Learn more about these treatments here.
Dr. Saltz is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine and a psychoanalyst with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.
Dr. Samuels is an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and an assistant attending psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
References
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017). Bipolar disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Brain stimulation therapies.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Mental health medications.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Psychotherapies.
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