Treating bipolar disorder holistically provides a whole-person approach to becoming well as opposed to a medication-based attempt to cure or control symptoms. A holistic practitioner sees the individual first and offers the least harmful treatments before the ones that may potentially cause side effects. Treatment addresses the beliefs, lifestyle and environment of the patient; the focus is on correcting imbalances. Be careful, though; many interventions commonly used for bipolar disorder work well with holistic treatment, but some types of alternative treatment that may seem effective and harmless can actually be unproven and potentially dangerous.
Instructions
1. Decide whether you want to continue with your current practitioner or look for a holistic psychiatrist or therapist. If you decide to remain with your current practitioner, inform him of your desire to use a holistic approach. If you want to change to a holistic practitioner, begin your search by searching for a holistic psychotherapist or psychiatrist on the "Find a holistic practitioner" page of the website of the American Holistic Medicine Association (see Resources).
2. Talk to your practitioner about your illness: how and where it was diagnosed, what your symptoms have been, and what treatments you've tried. Let your practitioner know about your social supports and stressors as well.
3. Consider which aspects of treatment you feel comfortable doing. Getting enough exercise and eating right, while possibly hard to follow, are healthy and do no harm If your practitioner recommends alternative treatment, such as as supplements or acupuncture, you may want to consider whether they have been shown in scientific studies to be effective and safe.
4. Be cautious with the use of supplements, herbal remedies and interventions such as sleep deprivation and light therapy. Scientists are not yet sure of their value, and while some supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, show promise, others, such as SAM-e, might have potential dangers such as worsening mania, according to work by David Mischoulon and Maurizio Fava as reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
5. Consider psychotherapy and peer support. If you have never been psychotic and have been diagnosed with bipolar II, psychotherapy alone may be sufficient to treat your illness. Peer support groups and education programs such as those run by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will help with isolation.
6. Maintain a close relationship with your practitioner. If your symptoms worsen, let her know immediately. Don't feel like you've failed if you need traditional medications; just keep working on getting better.
7. Create a Wellness Recovery Action Plan to assist you in maintaining your mental health. This is an easy-to-use resource you develop for yourself to help you manage your feelings and function better.
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