Home Remedies for Bipolar Disorder

Some of the most effective home remedies for bipolar disorder include the use of St. John’s Wort, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, black cohosh, fish oil, valerian root, lithium, flaxseed oil, and magnesium, as well as behavioral remedies like massage therapy, restful sleep, and stress reduction.

Bipolar Disorder
One of the most complex and misunderstood mental disorders is bipolar disorder, and it affects 1-3% of the global population at one point in their life or another, although the rates are significantly higher in western countries. Bipolar disorder is also known as manic depression, because it is characterized by unpredictable and seemingly uncontrollable swings between periods of good moods and depression. While many people focus on the negative (depression) side of this disorder, the heightened mood is often a state of mania, which can even include psychosis. Sufferers report periods of elation and hyper awareness, followed by depressive periods where poor self-esteem, inability to socially engage, and suicidal thoughts are common. When bipolar disorder is particularly pronounced, it can even require hospitalization to protect the patients from harming others, and themselves.

While the disorder remains a puzzle in some ways for researchers, studies have identified environmental, physiological, neurological, and genetic causes for the condition. Family history, traumatic childhood experiences, improper diet and self-care, or brain structure abnormalities can all result in this challenging and painful condition. There are different classifications of bipolar disorder, which are defined by the type and volume of bipolar episodes, and formal treatment varies depending on the diagnosis. Typical treatments include the use of psychotherapy, which is commonly combined with anti-psychotic, anticonvulsant, and mood stabilizing drugs, such as benzodiazepine. Given the side effects and potentially addictive qualities of current bipolar disorder treatments, many turn to alternative and natural remedies for this disorder. Let’s take a closer look at the home remedies for bipolar disorder.

Home Remedies for Bipolar Disorder
Ginseng: Depression is often associated with fatigue, lethargy, or exhaustion, which can make it difficult to maintain a normal quality of life, hold down a job, or engage in social interactions. Ginseng has been known as an energy-boosting substance for centuries, and the supplemental form of this key herb is readily available across the world. When your energy is boosted, you feel more able to do things, get out of the house, and engage normally.

Ginkgo Biloba: The neurological effects of Ginkgo are still up for some debate, but it has been shown to improve blood flow to the brain and protect against cognitive impairment in the case of Alzheimer’s and dementia. This herb is commonly recommended for those suffering from bipolarity as a way to balance mood and properly regulate chemical pathways that affect the brain.

Fish Oil: It seems that omega-3 fatty acids are praised for countless health benefits these days, and bipolar disorder is no exception. Fish oil supplements are popular recommendations for bipolar disorder, despite the exact pathway remaining unclear. Studies have shown that populations consuming higher concentrations of fish and possessing higher levels of omega-3 in their bloodstream less commonly exhibit signs of bipolar disorder. For example, Japan has one of the lowest reported bipolar disorder rates in the world, and one of the highest rates of fish consumption.

St. John’s Wort: This is one of the standard natural treatments for depression of any kind, and is therefore highly effective for bipolar disorder. By acting as a nervine agent (something that calms/regulates the nervous system), St. John’s Wort can ease depressive tendencies and balance mood, much like pharmaceutical mood stabilizers, but without the dangerously addictive side effects. Note: St. John’s Wort can complicate other medications being taken for bipolar disorder, so medical consultation is recommended.

Valerian Root: This readily available herb is also closely connected with bipolar disorder, as it can act as a powerful sedative, ensuring healthy sleep and rest for sufferers of this disorder. Valerian root is also linked to reduced rates of anxiety and stress, which are major contributors to bipolar disorder. By treating the symptoms, this type of alternative treatment can often eliminate the disorder entirely.

Lithium: In the past, lithium was often prescribed by doctors to lessen the effects of bipolar disorder, but dosage and diagnosis mistakes were often made. However, you can benefit from naturally occurring lithium in various foods, including mustard, kelp, pistachios, and dairy products. Lithium has been shown to reduce the manic episodes of those suffering from bipolar disorder, but is considered healthier when accessed naturally.

Black Cohosh: This well-known herb, also known as black snakeroot, has long been known to suppress the nervous system and prevent manic episodes. Commonly used as a sedative, in regulated quantities, it can help to balance the mood swings and behavioral/social issues that bipolar disorder patients regularly experience.

Magnesium: As one of the essential minerals for human health, magnesium helps to promote restful sleep, while reducing anxiety and stress. During periods of excessive work, magnesium levels deplete, leading to insomnia and depression. Some of the best natural sources of magnesium include spinach, seeds, fish, avocados, and bananas.

Massage Therapy: The benefits of massage are manifold and well-known, and can help to reduce toxins in the body that cause anxiety, stress, and sleeplessness. Massage therapy has been shown to directly affect the function of neurotransmitters and the hormone levels of the body, which can impact bipolar episodes.

Restful Sleep: Exhaustion and anxiety are two of the most common symptoms of bipolar disorder, so ensuring that your schedule includes enough time for a proper 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is crucial. By giving your mind time to work, in conjunction with the use of nervine agents and other behavioral approaches, bipolar disorder will have less “weak spots” to come through and negatively affect your quality of life.

A Final Word of Warning: Severe cases of bipolar disorder may require hospitalization and highly regulated treatment. While many of these home remedies may help reduce or prevent bipolar episodes and symptoms, consulting a medical or psychological professional is highly recommended.

9 Ways to Control Bipolar Disorder

Healthy habits for bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition in which episodes of mania—an abnormally elevated mood often accompanied by feelings of euphoria—are interspersed with bouts of depression.

People with bipolar disorder generally need to be treated with mood stabilizers and other medications. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important. Eating right, sticking to a regular sleep schedule, and other healthy habits can help people with bipolar disorder manage their condition.

Take your meds
Take your medication every day as prescribed by your doctor. In all, 1 in 3 people will remain completely free of symptoms of bipolar disorder by taking mood-stabilizing medicine, such as carbamazepine or lithium, for life.

Exercise daily
Moderate physical activity for 30 minutes a day can help control mood swings.

Eat a balanced diet
Make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. Eating meals at regular times will help establish a stress-reducing daily routine.

Avoid traveling into other time zones
If you are planning to travel extensively, you may want to call your doctor before you leave. Traveling into other time zones can disrupt your medication schedule and trigger a manic episode.

Get the same number of hours of sleep every night
Changes in your sleep patterns can sometimes trigger a manic or depressive episode. Try your best to keep the same bedtime and rise time, varying them by no more than an hour.

Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs
Even one drink can disrupt your sleep, change your mood, or interfere with your medicines, which can make symptoms worse or even trigger an episode.

Reduce stress at work and at home
Try to keep regular hours at work so stress won’t trigger a manic or depressive episode. If stress at work or at home is a problem, counseling may help. It is important to schedule some recreation in your day, even if it is just for a short period. This should generally include social time.

Limit caffeine and nicotine during manic episodes
Caffeine and nicotine can both act as stimulants, which can make symptoms worse. Plus, too much caffeine can change your sleeping habits.

Seek treatment immediately
Getting treatment immediately will help you to proactively manage symptoms of a depressive or manic episode and avoid disruptions to your life. Often you don't notice early signs or symptoms, so take the time to educate whoever is closest to you what signs and symptoms to look for. They can alert you when they see a change that suggests the beginning of a mood episode.  Show them you welcome such feedback, and be sure to take it seriously if you get it.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Men

Bipolar Disorder is a medical condition known as a depressive disorder. It affects the brain's chemistry and functions. Because it does, it has different results depending on the individual. The commonality of bipolar disorder across patients is that it is characterized by episodes of mania and depression. The way these patients act, feel or think is all dependent upon the type of bipolar disorder, brain chemistry, and the patient's gender.

Mania Symptoms
The manic episodes of bipolar disorder exhibit the following symptoms: hyperactivity, acting impulsively, difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, inflated self opinions, excessive talking, and less need for sleep

Depression Symptoms
The depressive episodes of bipolar disorder exhibit the following symptoms: feeling sad, anxious, hopeless, or negative for a significant period of time, difficulty remembering or concentrating on things, difficulty making decisions, lack of enjoyment for usual activities, eating and sleeping pattern changes, and suicidal thoughts.

Associated Symptoms
According to research made available through the U.S. Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health, men with bipolar disorder will more often have problems with--and exhibit signs of--substance abuse, particularly during manic episodes.

Effects
The behavioral patterns and mood swings symptomatic of bipolar disorder are often perceived wrongly by men to be a character flaw or sign of weakness, the result of which leads fewer men to pursue proper diagnosis and treatment.

Misconceptions
Bipolar disorder occurs just as frequently in men as it does in women.

Rapid Cycling
Rapid cycling bipolar disorder (symptomatically characterized by four or more manic-depressive episodes occurring within one year) is more common in men than it is in women.

Signs of Bipolar Disorder in Women

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a type of depression in which the affected person will display extremes in temperament --- from the highest high to the lowest low. However, seeing the signs of bipolar disorder in women can be tricky because people are often quick to write these mood swings off as hormonal changes.

Manic Mood
When a woman is transitioning into a manic state you might notice that her attitude will be greatly elevated. She can seem abnormally chipper and outgoing. However, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, a woman with bipolar disorder can also display manic mood changes that can easily appear to be PMS. For instance, many women will be easily agitated or cranky when they are manic.

Depressive Mood
Often, depressive mood changes are easier to recognize in women then manic mood changes. A depressed woman sometimes complains of being abnormally anxious. She might also seek for some meaning in her life as she tries to cope with feelings of emptiness. Furthermore, she can withdrawal and lose interest in doing most things. This is notably seen by a woman's partner when she suddenly and adamantly rejects her partner's sexual advances.

Manic Behavior
While manic moods can be hard to recognize, manic behaviors are not. Women experiencing a manic episode will frequently display erratic and illogical behaviors. For instance, some women will max out an entire credit card in one shopping binge. Others will skip work to start on a new personal project. Some women will engage in spontaneous sexual encounters with strangers or will be uncharacteristically interested in sex. Manic women will also experience trouble sleeping, will speak quickly and are easily distracted.

Depressive Behavior
When a woman becomes depressed her behavior changes are typically noticeable to anyone close to her. These changes include frequent complaints of being tired or worn-out, problems concentrating and thinking clearly, irritability or changes in eating and sleeping habits. While these types of changes can be synonymous with a woman's monthly cycle, a period of behavior lasting longer than two weeks is something to take notice of.

Fluctuations
Bipolar disorder manifests itself in a variety of ways. Some women with the illness will experience prolonged periods of mania or depression while others will drift only briefly between the two, spending most of the time feeling very normal. However, bipolar disorder of any degree can become serious and is often a lifetime condition. If you suspect someone has the disorder it is important to offer your emotional support and always report suicidal threats to a therapist or emergency response team.

Treatment Goals for Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II disorder is a mood disorder characterized by episodes of depression and hypomania or mixed episodes. Successful treatment for bipolar II disorder stabilizes mood with medication and teaches the patient skills and healthy activities to manage the illness.

Mood Stabilization with Medication
Antidepressants and mood stabilizing medications are used to treat bipolar II disorder. Antidepressants are used to alleviate depression, while mood stabilizers like Depakote and lithium prevent mood swings and mild mania symptoms.

Improving Self-Care
People who have been depressed often have difficulty practicing basic self-care, such as showering and eating regularly. Self-care often becomes easier once an effective medication, at the right dose, is administered.

Learning Coping Skills
People with bipolar II disorder sometimes have episodes of depression even when taking the appropriate medication. They can, however, learn coping skills to manage stress and depression symptoms. Relaxation techniques, art, keeping a journal and exercise are examples of healthy coping skills.

Challenging Distorted Thinking
Distorted thinking, also referred to as cognitive distortion, is common even among people who do not have a mental illness. Cognitive distortions can make managing bipolar II disorder more difficult. Some examples of cognitive distortions include all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization and fortune-telling (predicting worst-case scenarios).

Implementing a Healthy Lifestyle
Regular sleep routines and healthy diets are helpful for managing bipolar II disorder. Many find that exercise helps to control symptoms and reduce stress.

Recreational Therapy and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Recreational therapy, or therapeutic recreation (TR), is a treatment type that utilizes recreational interests and activities to help patients with mental disorders, physical illness and disabilities to improve their ability to function independently and socially. A certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS) works in community settings, mental hospitals, treatment centers and outpatient clinics. Therapeutic recreation is frequently a treatment used for stress disorders, including bipolar, anxiety and depression.

Stress Management
Therapeutic recreational activities may be a key treatment modality in helping individuals with bipolar disorder cope with stress and anxiety while improving relaxation techniques. Patients explore and develop self-nurturing and self-soothing skills. These techniques help the patient increase his ability to relax, reduce stress and cope with anxiety.

Self-awareness
Certified therapeutic recreation specialists engage patients in activities that improve self-esteem and offer leisure resources that they can use in their free time to increase communication skills and assertiveness. Recreational activities can help bipolar patients manage stress and nurture themselves so they need not depend on others for their happiness.

Health and Wellness
Part of the therapeutic recreation specialist's strategy for bipolar treatment seeks to engage the patient in active leisure activities that help the patient increase levels of energy. Exercise and activity help promote social engagement, teamwork, cooperation and the ability to self-regulate. Healthy exercise improves not only physical conditioning, but mental health and acuity.

Community Integration
Another facet of therapeutic recreational intervention with bipolar patients is exposing the client to the availability of community recreational resources. Treatment seeks to engage the patient in community activities as a participant, observer and supporter. Volunteer activities, hobby groups, retail recreational equipment suppliers and online recreational information resources all can help the patient improve engagement with the world around her. Finding friends and people with shared interests helps the individual with bipolar disorder build a social support structure outside of formal treatment facilities and professional aides.

Evaluation
Certified therapeutic recreation specialists use a variety of tools to evaluate clients, including interest inventories, personal recreational histories, aptitude and skills tests. Then the therapist works with patients prior to developing a recreation plan. The specialist is often part of a coordinated treatment plan that includes psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses and other medical personnel. The recreation portion of the comprehensive treatment plan lays out goals and objectives that address the four chief issues: stress management, self-awareness, health and wellness, and community integration.