Natural medicines and supplements may offer some benefits as adjuncts to traditional medical treatment for bipolar disorder, but they are not a replacement for prescription medications and should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
Stick to a routine
Having a routine can help you feel calmer if your mood is high, motivated if your mood is low, and generally more stable. Your routine could include: Day-to-day activities, such as the time you eat meals and go to sleep. Making time for relaxation, mindfulness, hobbies and social plans.
Try to limit or avoid sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, which may worsen mood disturbances. A review of 60 studies on nutrition and bipolar disorder found that omega-3 fatty acids—the unsaturated fats found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna, as well as in flaxseeds and walnuts—may help improve bipolar symptoms.
A daily routine for sleep, diet and exercise may help people with bipolar disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy focuses on identifying unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replacing them with healthy, positive beliefs and behaviors. CBT can help find what triggers your bipolar episodes.
Mood stabilizers like lithium are often considered the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder, particularly Bipolar I. Lithium not only helps manage manic episodes but also significantly reduces the risk of suicide, a common concern with bipolar patients.
However, many people with bipolar disorder have found the following tools to be helpful in reducing symptoms and maintaining wellness:
Medications are essential for managing bipolar disorder, but lifestyle changes can support your treatment. Activities like art therapy, journaling, and relaxation techniques can help manage bipolar symptoms. Stick to a routine, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly to help stabilize your mood.
Factors that may raise the risk of getting bipolar disorder or cause the first episode include: Having a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, with bipolar disorder. Periods of high stress, such as the death of a loved one or another traumatic event. Drug or alcohol misuse.
The Takeaway. A poor diet can contribute to bipolar mood episodes, and certain food choices may help manage them. People with bipolar disorder should avoid or limit caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, and saturated fats.
Although symptoms may come and go, bipolar disorder usually requires lifelong treatment and does not go away on its own.
Conclusions. Our study highlights the significant role that vitamin D, B9, and B12 deficiencies play in the mental and metabolic health of patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Nuts are particularly rich in lithium, with estimated concentrations of 1.09 and 3.12 µg/g in cashew nuts and walnuts, respectively5.
Current medications for bipolar I disorder do not treat all mood symptoms, and do not target stress. Magnesium-vitamin B6 is a well-tolerated nutritional supplment and has shown to help relieve these symptoms.
You can use a 48 hour rule where you wait at least 2 full days with 2 nights sleep before acting on risky decisions. Review your decision to avoid a tempting, but risky, behaviour.
There is no clear cause of bipolar disorder. Mental health experts think it's a result of chemical imbalances in the brain. It seems to run in families, but no genes have yet been linked to it. It causes unusual mood swings.
A life-long and often debilitating illness, BPD affects at least 2% of the general population (2). As few as 20%–40% of BPD patients achieve social and occupational recovery to their own premorbid levels (1).
Exercise: Exercise has been proven to improve mood and mental health in general, so it may help manage your symptoms related to bipolar disorder. Since weight gain is a common side effect of bipolar disorder medications, exercise may also help with weight management.
Foods to eat with bipolar disorder
They have been known to produce symptoms consistent with mania. Those symptoms include extreme elation with reduced need for sleep. Other supplements that can potentially cause mania include DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine), St. John's Wort, and rhodiola rosea.
Bipolar disorder is frequently inherited, with genetic factors accounting for approximately 80% of the cause of the condition. Bipolar disorder is the most likely psychiatric disorder to be passed down from family. If one parent has bipolar disorder, there's a 10% chance that their child will develop the illness.
Bipolar Disorder: Helping Someone During a Manic Episode
Childhood trauma
Some experts believe that experiencing a lot of emotional distress as a child can cause bipolar disorder to develop. This could be because childhood trauma and distress can have a big effect on your ability to manage your emotions. This can include experiences like: Neglect.
There are various types of exercise that can be beneficial for managing bipolar depression. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, jogging, or swimming, increase your heart rate and help improve cardiovascular health. These activities also stimulate the release of endorphins, boosting your mood and energy levels.
CAPLYTA® (lumateperone) is a prescription medicine used in adults along with an antidepressant to treat major depressive disorder (MDD); to treat depressive episodes associated with bipolar I or bipolar II disorder (bipolar depression) alone or with lithium or valproate; or to treat schizophrenia.
Conditions such as borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, ADHD, and schizoaffective disorder may mimic aspects of bipolar disorder, including mood swings, impulsivity, or episodes of depression and mania-like behavior.