The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley (San Jose/California) offers Bipolar Disorder Therapy. We serve the communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Cupertino and Campbell, CA as well as the state of California. Our approach is practical, goal-oriented, compassionate, and scientifically-based while focusing on your individual needs. If you think you may be experiencing bipolar disorder, you can learn more about our treatment approach for bipolar disorder below.
What is Bipolar Disorder Therapy?
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Bipolar disorder can be hard to diagnose. It is a mood disorder that often goes undiagnosed as depression. This happens because the highs may not be obvious or the person may appear in person to the clinician when they are depressed.
People often enjoy when hypomania, or the mild highs, and they may not see it as a problem. During hypomania, you may feel productive and driven and the obsession related to productivity may actually be enjoyable. However, once the hypomania episode passes, you may crash and some of the ideas and projects you created may no longer be as motivating. You may have a history of starting and stopping projects due to your mood cycling.
On the other hand, if you experience mania, you may be so high that you are not even aware you are in a manic episode. Mania may show up as either highs where you engage in risky behaviors. Alternatively, it can show up as extreme irritability where your mood may result in negative consequences such as interpersonal conflicts, damaging relationships and losing jobs.
Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
It can be relatively easy to diagnose the classic style of bipolar disorder. People with the classic style of bipolar disorder often have cycles of elevated and depressed mood that fit the description of “manic depression.”
However, bipolar disorder can be sneaky. As many as 20% of people complaining of depression to their doctor actually have bipolar disorder. Many people with bipolar disorder have received a delayed diagnosis because it can take seeing an average of three professionals before being diagnosed correctly. Therefore, it can take an average of 10 years until people enter treatment. Most people with bipolar disorder also have other conditions such as substance abuse or anxiety that can make detecting the underlying bipolar disorder more challenging.
There are several types of bipolar and related disorders. They may include mania or hypomania and depression. Symptoms can cause unpredictable changes in mood and behavior, resulting in significant distress and difficulty in life.
Bipolar I disorder. You’ve had at least one manic episode that may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes. In some cases, mania may trigger a break from reality (psychosis).
Bipolar II disorder. You’ve had at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but you’ve never had a manic episode.
Cyclothymic disorder. You’ve had at least two years — or one year in children and teenagers — of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms (though less severe than major depression).
Mania or Hypomania Symptoms
Abnormally upbeat, jumpy or wired
Increased activity, energy or agitation
Exaggerated sense of well-being and self-confidence (euphoria)
Decreased need for sleep
Unusual talkativeness
Racing thoughts
Distractibility
Poor decision-making — for example, going on buying sprees, taking sexual risks or making foolish investments
Depression Symptoms
Depressed mood, such as feeling sad, empty, hopeless or tearful (in children and teens, depressed mood can appear as irritability)
Marked loss of interest or feeling no pleasure in all — or almost all — activities
Significant weight loss when not dieting, weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite (in children, failure to gain weight as expected can be a sign of depression)
Either insomnia or sleeping too much
Either restlessness or slowed behavior
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
Decreased ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
Thinking about, planning or attempting suicide
Cognitive Behavioral Model of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is conceptualized as a biological disorder that results in mood swings that can be triggered seemingly out of the blue. You may have been called a “moody” person early in life if your bipolar is mild. With severe bipolar disorder, your mood swings can be quite dramatic. When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or pleasure in most activities. When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania, you may feel euphoric, full of energy or extremely irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and the ability to think clearly.
Cognitive Behavior Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is treated with medications. It is crucial that you take your medications regularly as prescribed. Cognitive behavior therapy can complement your treatment by helping you identify and predict your triggers so you can manage your life more productively. In addition, CBT is helpful in developing a wellness plan including healthy eating, regular sleep, exercise, stress management, and managing your energy levels, activity and judgment and decision making. CBT can also help you manage work and relationships more effectively.
How to Get Help for Bipolar Disorder
The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley (San Jose/California) specializes in Bipolar Disorder therapy and counseling. We serve the communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Cupertino and Campbell, CA as well as the state of California. Click to send an email for more information on how we can help you manage your bipolar disorder.