depression-and-anxiety > about-bipolar-disorder-or-manic-depression

people afflicted with the illness. When properly treated, 90 percent of people with mood disorders can be helped.

Two out of three people with mood disorders do not get proper treatment because their symptoms are not recognized, blamed on personal weakness, or misdiagnosed.

On average, people with bipolar disorder see 3.3 doctors before receiving a correct diagnosis.

On average, it takes eight years to be correctly diagnosed for bipolar disorder.

Fifteen to twenty percent of people with untreated bipolar disorder commit suicide.

Treatment

Many bipolar members of MDDA-Boston employ a mix of proper medication, good therapy, and peer support and education to manage their bipolar illness.
Medication regimes can vary widely, and many of our members take a combination of meds to treat their disorder.
Mood stabilizers such as Lithium, Depakote, or Tegretol are typically used to smooth out the highs and lows and achieve greater mood stability. Newer mood stabilizers include Neurontin and Lamictal.
Anti-mania or anti-psychotic drugs are often used to control manic or psychotic tendencies. Newer meds in this category range from Zyprexa and Seroquel to Risperidol.
While depressive episodes can be a feature of bipolar disorder, many of our bipolar members cannot tolerate conventional anti-depressants such as the SSRIs (Proxac, Zoloft, Paxal) or Effexor due to their risk of precipitating a manic episode. A number of bipolar folks are now using Wellbutrin to treat depressive episodes due to its short half-life and therefore theoretically better manageability if it precipitates a hypomanic episode.
Alternative medications, such as Omega-3 fatty acids , also show great promise for treatment of bipolar disorder.

(published with permission in writing from:http://mddaboston.org)