Bipolar Disorder

Table of Contents

Joshua Flatow
Author and Medical Reviewer:
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About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can feel like an unpredictable train ride that turns through mountains of mania before swiftly barreling downwards through deep troughs of depression. These mood swings can severely disrupt your day-to-day life and can make maintaining good relationships difficult. That’s why bipolar disorder treatment in Long Beach, CA, is an important first step in bettering your mental health.

Here at Pacific Mind Health, our fantastic team of psychiatrists and mental health specialists know the true impact that these unexpected mood swings can have on your ability to live and think clearly. It’s our mission to help you take control of your mental health journey and better regulate your mood with safe and effective bipolar disorder treatments in Long Beach, CA. All you have to do is give us a call at 562.279.0180 or schedule your personal consultation right here with our online form.

What is a bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder—formerly referred to as manic depression—is a mental health condition that is characterized by extreme mood swings with intense, emotional highs of mania or hypomania and harrowing lows of depression and overarching sadness.
To the uninitiated, the idea of a “manic high” of intense energy and continued euphoric sensations sounds like a non-issue. However, these manic highs can lead to a variety of reckless behaviors, like excessive spending and buying sprees, taking irresponsible sexual risks, gambling large sums of money, or making last-minute and foolish investments.

On the other hand, deep depressive episodes are exactly how they sound. These darker episodes bring with them near-unbearable feelings of sadness and hopelessness that steal all inkling of interest and pleasure from activities once enjoyed. And along with both of these highs and lows comes a variety of other troublesome symptoms, which we’ll dig into next.

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What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

As you can already begin to see, the symptoms mentioned above already make it clear why someone would seek out effective and trustworthy bipolar disorder treatment in Long Beach, CA. But, unfortunately, that’s not the whole story when it comes to the symptoms of bipolar disorder. There are countless other symptoms one might encounter when living with bipolar disorder. That’s because—as with many mental health issues—they affect each individual differently, and there is no one-size-fits-all bipolar disorder diagnosis.

There are a few different diagnoses that fall under the greater category of bipolar disorder. They include:

  • Bipolar I Disorder — A Bipolar I diagnosis may be made if you have experienced at least one manic episode that may or may not have been preceded or proceeded by an episode of hypomania or depression.
  • Bipolar II Disorder — A Bipolar II diagnosis may be made if you have had at least one depressive episode and one hypomania without having experienced a manic episode at any point.
  • Cyclothymic Disorder — A Cyclothymic diagnosis may be made if you’ve had at least one to two years of continued bouts of mania, hypomania, and depression.
  • Other Types — Some bipolar disorder diagnoses may also be a product of other factors such as alcohol and drug use, as well as a variety of medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis or a stroke.

The mood swings that come in tandem with these diagnoses can affect everything from your energy levels, quality of sleep, and enjoyment of activities to your decision-making processes, cognitive clarity, and overall behavior and personality.

If you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or think you may have it, you will likely experience a mix of the following:
Mania & Hypomania

Mania and hypomania produce the same problems. However, mania is far more severe and can make the symptoms much more noticeable to those around you.

Episodes of mania and hypomania can cause:

  • A decrease in the need for sleep
  • Unusual talkativeness
  • Racing thoughts
  • A heightened level of energy
  • Agitation
  • An exaggerated sense of self-confidence
  • Intense euphoria

Major Depressive Episode

A major depressive episode caused by bipolar disorder will mirror the symptoms of a standard major depressive diagnosis. And much like mania, these issues can heavily disrupt your day-to-day life and relationships.

Episodes of depression can cause:

  • A hyper-depressed mood
  • Intense feelings of sadness
  • Frequent fatigue, even upon waking up
  • Bouts of insomnia and other sleep issues
  • Feelings of worthlessness or unwarranted guilt
  • A loss of interest in previously-enjoyed activities

These are far from all the symptoms one may encounter living with bipolar disorder, as the frequency and severity of mood swings can vary significantly from person to person. However, the one thing that is certain is that bipolar disorder treatment in Long Beach, CA, has been proven effective in helping fend off these life-altering mental health issues.

What causes bipolar disorder?

The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t precisely known just yet, but there are several factors we know of that may contribute to its onset—including:

  • Genetics
  • A family history of bipolar disorder
  • The excessive use of certain drugs and alcohol
  • Continuous and frequent periods of high stress
  • A unique difference in one’s biological composition


As a side note: people with bipolar disorder seem to have physical changes occur in their brains when compared to people without bipolar disorder. However, the importance of these changes is still unclear.

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What are the treatments for bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disorder is typically a lifelong condition. With that said, there are effective bipolar disorder treatments in Long Beach, CA, available to help you manage your condition and regulate your mood for a better and fuller life.

To treat your unique case of bipolar disorder, the outstanding Dr. Flatow here at Pacific Mind Health might recommend any or all of the following:

  • Education and support
  • Psychotherapy and counseling
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
  • Substance abuse treatment when necessary
  • Lifestyle changes, including nutrition, exercise, and stress management
  • Medications, such as mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety, and antidepressants
  • The use of mood charts to better understand your feelings and identify any triggers and patterns
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Treat Your Bipolar Disorder With Pacific Mind Health

Start your journey towards better mental health and well-being by getting in touch with Pacific Mind Health today. Our unparalleled team of psychiatrists and mentall health experts can provide you with the bipolar disorder treatment in Long Beach, CA, that you’ve been looking for.

So give us a call at 562.279.0180 to learn more, or schedule your initial consultation with one of our compassionate doctors today by filling out our convenient online form.