Bipolar Disorder Treatment in Austin, TX
Treating mental illnesses is a significant challenge. Even medical researchers have failed to fully understand the human mind. Nevertheless, effective treatments have been found for many mental illnesses by employing a wide variety of approaches.
Bipolar disorder has proven to be one of the most challenging mental illnesses to treat. The negative feelings that bipolar patients experience often make them resistant to treatment, and some of the key symptoms, such as angry outbursts and depression, are difficult to treat without introducing the possibility of side effects.
Thankfully, researchers have recently achieved a breakthrough in treating bipolar disorder with the help of ketamine infusion treatments. To understand whether ketamine for bipolar disorder could be for you, take the time to learn the advantages and disadvantages that ketamine therapy can provide.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Before getting into possible treatments, it is first important to understand bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, many patients who believe that they have bipolar disorder really have another mental illness or no mental illness at all. Likewise, it is thought that over 60 percent of patients who have bipolar disorder have never been properly diagnosed.
Bipolar disorder causes rapid mood swings between depression and mania. People with bipolar disorder will often feel elated one day before crashing to feel extremely depressed the next. Although the manic periods can seem euphoric, most patients agree that the
depressed stages (that can drag on for weeks) make the mental illness unbearable overall. Consequently, many people who have bipolar disorder have serious problems with maintaining functional social lives and even holding down a job.
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
The key symptom of bipolar disorder is experiencing periods of extreme elation followed by periods of extreme depression. Other symptoms may include restlessness, poor concentration, rapid speech, and forming unrealistic plans.
Many patients who suffer with bipolar disorder often turn to alcohol and recreational drugs in an attempt to overcome the challenges that they experience in the low periods. Of course, recreational drug use can have serious adverse consequences, and these issues can eventually lead to a dysfunctional life and symptoms that worsen over time.
Treatments for Bipolar Disorder
In conventional cases, bipolar disorder is usually treated with the help of mood stabilizers, such as lithium, valproate, or carbamazepine. Unfortunately, these drugs often have adverse side effects that can impair a patient’s ability to live a normal life. More importantly,
conventional treatments have proven to be ineffective in many cases.
Recent research has found that ketamine treatments can be highly effective for treating the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Ketamine and bipolar disorder go together well because the medication helps the brain to cope with the extreme feelings of pain and agony that
can arise due to bipolar disorder.
Who Should Use Ketamine Treatments?
Treatment with ketamine for bipolar disorder is an option that might be right for patients who have struggled to get results from other treatments. Studies have shown that ketamine can help people with bipolar disorder to experience less depression and fewer angry outbursts. Patients also experience fewer night terrors and suicidal thoughts.
Of course, results can vary between patients. Therefore, ketamine is not the right treatment option in every case. There are some temporary side effects associated with taking ketamine, such as the possibility of experiencing hallucinations, nausea, and loss of appetite. However, the side effects of ketamine are generally very mild, and patients normally report that any adverse effects are much less severe than the ordinary symptoms of bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, you should always make the decision of whether to seek or continue ketamine therapy with the help of your established mental health professional and a licensed medical professional at Austin Ketamine Specialists.
When Ketamine Therapy Is Right for You
Ketamine is generally a great option for patients who experience severe periods of depression or angry outbursts. When outbursts occur less frequently, patients tend to feel less afraid of harming their loved ones. Patients also usually report fewer night terrors associated with their mental illness.
Treatments that involve ketamine often work best in conjunction with a holistic approach that involves introducing medications while also making changes to a patient’s living environment that help to reduce symptoms. When ketamine is used correctly, many patients report that they feel whole again for the first time in their adult lives. By getting control of your symptoms, you will be able to start improving your life in ways that will lead to greater life satisfaction. Consequently, bipolar symptoms can be further reduced once real progress has been made.
If you believe that ketamine might be an option that you would like to consider, speak with a medical professional at Austin Ketamine Specialists. The first step toward improving your life is to reach out to a treatment center near you to get the help that you need.