Bipolar Treatment Using a Strengths Based, Biopsychosocial Perspective

Strengths Based
Biopsychosocial Approach
to Recovery from Bipolar
Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC, NCC
Executive Director, AllCEUs
Recovery & Resilience International in partnership with AllCEUs.com
Unlimited CE for $59 | Webinars $5 | Specialty Certificates $89

Objectives
 What is bipolar
 What causes bipolar disorder (and how to mitigate it)
 Emotionally (Stress reduction, Anger Mangement, Happiness)
 Mentally (Cognitive Errors and Negativity, Self-Esteem)
 Physically (Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep, Medication)
 Environmentally
 Understanding your bipolar
 Triggers (Depression & Mania) and interventions
 Warning Signs (Depression & Mania) and interventions
 Symptoms (Depression & Mania)
 Co-Occurring Conditions (and interventions)

Why I Care/How It Impacts Recovery
 Uncontrolled bipolar disorder puts people at risk
for
 Suicide
 Addictions and Addiction Relapse
 Extreme risk taking behavior
 Poorly controlled bipolar disorder can leave
people feeling hopeless and helpless
 Well controlled bipolar, like well controlled
addictions helps a person feel happy, optimistic,
motivated and energized.

What is Bipolar Disorder
 It is a brain a disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy,
activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
 Many very successful people have managed their bipolar disorder
including
 Mel Gibson
 Demi Lovato
 Axl Rose
 Britney Spears
 Jean-Claude Van Damme
 Mark Vonnegut
 Amy Winehaus
 Lee Thompson Young & Robin Williams were both quite successful and revered
in their fields, despite losing the battle with bipolar

What Causes Bipolar Disorder
 What causes bipolar disorder
 Imbalances in neurochemicals, especially dopamine,
serotonin and norepinephrine
 Imbalances can be genetic, triggered by sex-hormone
changes or stress-hormone changes
 Prevalence
 More than 1 in 50 adults are classified as having bipolar
disorder in any 12-month period (2.6% of the adult
population)

Understanding Your Bipolar
 Symptoms
Depression
 Feel very sad, down, empty, or hopeless
 Have very little energy
 Have decreased activity levels
 Sleeping changes
 Feel worried and empty
 Have trouble concentrating
 Forget things a lot
 Eat too much or too little
 Feel tired or “slowed down”

 Symptoms
Mania
 Feel very “up,” “high,” or elated
 Have a lot of energy and increased activity levels
 Feel “jumpy” or “wired”
 Have trouble sleeping
 Talk really fast about a lot of different things
 Be agitated, irritable, or “touchy”
 Feel like their thoughts are going very fast
 Think they can do a lot of things at once
 Engage in risky and/or reckless behavior

 Symptoms
Mixed
 Includes symptoms of both manic and depressive symptoms
 Feeling very sad, empty, or hopeless AND
 Feeling extremely energized.

Keeping a Life Chart
 Ideally for 3-6 months
 Chart
 Sleep
 Dietary Habits
 Exercise
 Life stressors
 Hormones (women)
 Bipolar symptoms

 Triggers & Interventions (build on strengths)
Depression
Cognitive • Address negative thinking patterns and cognitive
distortions
Physical • Get adequate sleep
• Avoid opiate and sedative medications, alcohol
herbs
Situational • Coping Skills Inventory; Social Support
Interpersonal • Identify supportive friends
• Learn about interpersonal behaviors that trigger
you and ways to deal with them
Environmental • Cheerful, calm, safe environment
• Eliminate negativity from media, IRL environment

 Triggers & Interventions (build on strengths)
Mania
• Stimulant medications or drugs
(ADHD Medications, Caffeine, Appetite
Suppressants, Decongestants etc.)
• Avoid stimulants when possible,
and don’t combine with caffeine
• Thyroid and steroid medications • Talk with your doctor about side
effects
• SAMe; 5-HTP (Antidepressant
alternatives)
• Use only under close medical
supervision

 Warning Signs and Interventions (build on strengths)
Depression
• Cognitive • Thinking changes; Difficulty Concentrating
• Physical • Low Energy, Sleeping or Eating Changes, irritability
• Emotional • Sadness
• Interpersonal • Negativity, resentment, withdrawal
• Environmental • Disarray, Dirtiness

 Warning Signs and Interventions (build on strengths)
Mania
• Cognitive • Racing thoughts, Heightened Creativity,
Impulsivity/Poor Judgment, Hyperfocus
• Physical • Difficulty sleeping or sitting still
• Emotional • Elation, Excitedness, Thrill seeking
• Interpersonal • Interrupting, Anger outbursts, Frustration with others
• Environmental • Varies but usually extreme

Motivation & Treatment Compliance
 Depression
 Benefits of eliminating manic episodes (If I were no longer
manic…)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social (Family and Friends)
 Drawbacks to eliminating manic episodes (If I were no longer
depressed…)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical

Motivation & Treatment Compliance
 Manic Episodes
 Benefits of eliminating depression (If I were no longer
depressed…)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Drawbacks to eliminating depression (If I were no longer
depressed…)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical

General Techniques for Addressing Bipolar
 How do you deal with it?
 What are you willing to do?
 Emotionally
 Mindfulness
Prevents episodes from “sneaking up”
Encourages behaviors to prevent vulnerabilities
 Stress reduction
Identify and eliminate or mitigate stressors
 Time Management
 Cognitive Processing Therapy

General Techniques…
 Emotionally
 Anger Management
Identify and understand anger triggers
Develop a plan for de-escalation
Begin addressing anger triggers to maintain control of
your own energy
 Happiness
What makes you happy….do more of it
Schedule a belly laugh every day
Keep a Good Things/Silver Lining/Gratitude Journal

General Techniques cont…
 Mentally
 Cognitive Errors
All or nothing thinking
Focusing on only the positive or negative
Using feelings as facts
Focusing only on a small piece
 Negativity and the Silver Lining
 Self-Esteem
View failures as lessons
Applaud courage and creativity
Nurture your inner child

 Physically
 Exercise
Increases serotonin
Reduces stress
Helps balance hormones and neurochemicals
May help combat some medication side effects
 Nutrition
Provides the building blocks for the neurochemicals
(quality protein, 3 colors on a salad plate)
Stay hydrated to keep medication levels stable
Avoid mindless or comfort eating

 Physically
 Sleep
Helps the body repair and rebalance
Sleep deprivation is known to trigger episodes
Too much sleep, or sleeping at the wrong times can mess
up circadian rhythms
Keep daytime naps to less than 45 minutes 1x/day
 Medication
Adjust dosage times to fit your schedule
Discuss negative side effects with your doctor
Don’t expect a pill to do everything

 Interpersonally
 Support groups
 Chat rooms
 In-the-know family and friends
 Self-awareness of the Jekyl-Hyde syndrome

 Environmentally
 Essential oil aromatherapy
Energizing: Peppermint (any of the mints actually),
Rosemary, Lemon
Calming: Lavender, Chamomile, Valerian, Catnip,
Bergamot, Rose (Rose-Geranium is less expensive),
Frankincense
Memory Triggering: Ginger, Clove, Cinnamon, Orange,
Jasmine
Visit a store selling essential oils and sniff them to see
which ones work for you.

 Environmentally
 Organization
 Eliminate or manage impulse items
Car keys
Credit Cards
Porn Sites
Video Games
Alcohol
 During the day keep it light and bright

Co-Occurring Conditions
 Depression
 Suicidality
 Addictive Behaviors/self-medication
 Mania (Excessive and Impulsive)
 Explosive Anger
 Heightened Libido
 Risk taking
Legal
Physical

Summary
 Bipolar is caused by neurochemical imbalances,
especially among serotonin, dopamine and
norepinephrine
 The symptoms and presentation vary widely
 It is more important to:
 Address each symptom
 Identify warning signs
 Eliminate or mitigate triggers and vulnerabilities
 Treatment compliance is a huge issue because
mood stabilizers tend to flatten the highs

Summary
 The most dangerous times for suicidal ideation in
people with bipolar disorder are:
 Coming out of a depressive episode
 During a mixed episode
 Ensure people with bipolar disorder have:
 A crisis plan
 People who interact with them daily who are aware of their
warning signs and symptoms
 People with co-occurring addictions also need to be
aware that a bipolar episode (relapse) can trigger an
addiction relapse and vice versa

Bipolar Treatment Using a Strengths Based, Biopsychosocial Perspective

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Bipolar Treatment Using a Strengths Based, Biopsychosocial Perspective

Similar to Bipolar Treatment Using a Strengths Based, Biopsychosocial Perspective (20)

More from Dr. DawnElise Snipes ★AllCEUs★ Unlimited Counselor Training

More from Dr. DawnElise Snipes ★AllCEUs★ Unlimited Counselor Training (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Bipolar Treatment Using a Strengths Based, Biopsychosocial Perspective