Patient handout
Bipolar disorder
You have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This page explains what that means, how it is treated, and what you can do now.
What it is
Bipolar disorder is a condition of mood episodes: periods of depression and periods of elevated or irritable mood with high energy, called mania or, in a milder form, hypomania. Between episodes most people feel like themselves. It is a long-term condition, it runs in families, and with steady treatment most people live full, stable lives.
Common signs
- Mania or hypomania: little need for sleep yet full of energy, racing thoughts, fast talking, big plans, spending sprees, irritability, risky decisions
- Depression: low mood, no interest, exhaustion, sleeping or eating too much or too little, hopelessness
- Episodes that last days to weeks, often with a clear change from your usual self
- Depressive episodes that did not respond well to antidepressants alone
- A family history of bipolar disorder
Why it happens
Bipolar disorder involves differences in how the brain regulates mood, energy, and sleep, and it is strongly genetic. Episodes are often triggered by sleep loss, stress, substance use, seasonal change, or antidepressants taken without a mood stabilizer. Protecting sleep and routine is part of the treatment, not just advice.
How it is treated
- Mood stabilizers are the foundation: lithium, lamotrigine, valproate, or carbamazepine, chosen by which phase needs treating and by your health history.
- Atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine, aripiprazole, lurasidone, or cariprazine treat mania, bipolar depression, or both, and are often combined with a mood stabilizer.
- Antidepressants are used cautiously and usually only alongside a mood stabilizer, because alone they can trigger mania.
- Therapy and routine: psychoeducation, regular sleep and daily rhythm, and early-warning plans reduce relapse. Lab monitoring is part of care for several of these medications.
What you can do now
- Keep a fixed sleep and wake time. Sleep loss is the most common trigger of mania.
- Track your mood daily with a simple app or notebook, and bring it to visits.
- Write down your personal early-warning signs and share them with someone you trust.
- Avoid alcohol and cannabis; both destabilize mood.
- Take medication every day, even when you feel completely well. Feeling well is the medication working.
Get help right away if
- Going two or more nights with little sleep along with unusual energy, racing thoughts, or impulsive plans (early mania; call the same day)
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or others
- Confusion, hallucinations, or believing things others say are not true
- A new rash on lamotrigine, or tremor, vomiting, or confusion on lithium (call the same day)
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or not wanting to be here: call or text 988 any time, or go to the nearest emergency room
Good to know
- Mania can feel wonderful at first, which is why the people around you may notice it before you do. Let them tell you.
- Many medications for bipolar disorder need blood tests at the start and periodically. Keeping those appointments is part of staying well.
- If you are pregnant or planning pregnancy, tell us before changing anything; several of these medications need adjusting, and stopping suddenly is riskier than planning.
Questions about your diagnosis or treatment?
Alice Tran Psychiatric Care · 3060 Williams Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22031
Call: (703) 791-9099 · Text: (703) 791-9031 · info@alicetrannp.com · alicetrannp.com
This handout is for education and is not a substitute for the instructions you received at your visit. Follow the dose on your prescription label. If anything here differs from what you were told, call the office. In an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.