When Should You Seek Help for Bipolar Disorder?
Anytime someone is struggling with a mood issue like bipolar disorder, one of the first steps to healing is also the most difficult: seeking help. For individuals questioning whether they or someone they care about may be struggling with bipolar behavior, it’s natural to want to reach out for help. Unfortunately, those same individuals often talk themselves out of seeking help for a few different reasons.
Reason 1: Episodes Seem to Come and Go
Bipolar disorder is fundamentally an issue with mood regulation, and it generally manifests as one of two extreme emotional states—manic episodes or depressive episodes. Some individuals may not recognize manic episodes as being problematic because of the beneficial emotions mania can bring about, such as euphoria, increased energy, and improved productivity. However, these heightened emotional states come with negative ramifications.
An individual in a manic state may feel “better” at the time, but they also experience adverse effects like anger, irritability, insomnia, and a possibly a penchant for reckless behaviors that quickly outweigh any upsides. These downsides can harm family life and job performance; yet the emotional high of a manic episode is often enough for many to believe they’re better following a depressive episode. When that happens, it is common for individuals to think they no longer need help.
When dealing with bipolar states, the lowest lows can follow the highest highs, and it is difficult to predict the intensity, duration, or frequency of future episodes. If you or someone you care about seem to swing between patterns of manic and depressive states that last for days to weeks at a time, it’s time to reach out for help.
Reason 2: The Stigma Surrounding Bipolar Disorder
The general public and the medical community in the United States continue to stigmatize bipolar disorder as a condition that needs to be eliminated or fixed as quickly as possible. As a result, people who may be struggling with symptoms don’t reach out for help due to fear of being treated or viewed differently. Someone experiencing Bipolar symptoms does not want to admit that something is “wrong” with them and instead may choose to continue living with their struggles. This could ultimately resort in a hospitalization if symptoms spiral out of control.
When bipolar disorder is identified earlier, treatment outcomes and overall quality of life are more likely to improve. At the same time, bipolar episodes are unpredictable, and individuals who avoid seeking help may struggle with hospitalization, addictions, and harming themselves or others before admitting the need for help.
It is vital to remember that reaching out for guidance may lead to positive outcomes like confirmation that an individual is not, in fact, dealing with bipolar episodes. We recommend you reach out for help as soon as a pattern of manic and depressive moods is spotted at any point from early adulthood into late adulthood.
Reason 3: Episodes Do Not Seem Severe Enough
There are different categories of bipolar diagnoses, and each can manifest in different ways, making it more difficult to differentiate between bipolar disorder and other mental health problems while knowing when to seek help. Bipolar I is the most intense and often exhibits manic episodes that last a week or longer, followed by depressive episodes that last for weeks, often requiring hospitalization or professional treatment.
The characteristics of bipolar II are generally less pronounced, and individuals may experience waves of hypomania (less intense mania) and depression for years or more because they don’t seem extreme enough to require help. As noted above, it’s impossible to predict the magnitude of future bipolar episodes, so the sooner bipolar tendencies are identified, the less harm they ultimately have on an individual’s quality of life.
Are You Seeking Help for Bipolar Disorder?
If you are dealing with the possibility of a bipolar diagnosis, you should remember that these struggles are not anyone’s fault. The cause of bipolar disorder isn’t yet fully understood, but we know it’s tied to a number of complex biological and physiological factors. The good news is that there are evidence-based bipolar disorder treatment options available. When you’re ready to seek help for emotional regulation, reach out to the team at PCH and we’ll help you identify the next steps for living a life of balance and well-being.