Learn, mood
Bipolar disorder brings times of very high mood, and often times of low mood too. Care can help with both. You can ask about every choice, raise side effects, and decide what a good life means for you.
Get help now if anyone is in danger or cannot stay safe. Do not wait for a routine appointment. Urgent signs include:
Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department. See crisis lines.
Bipolar disorder is a health condition with high moods and, often, low moods. A high mood can bring a lot of energy and little need for sleep. Thoughts may race and speech may be fast.
Some people spend a lot or take risks. Some feel very irritable.
A low mood can bring sadness, tiredness and loss of interest. Some people feel hopeless. Between these times, mood is often steady for weeks, months or years.
A severe high is called mania. A milder high is called hypomania. Bipolar 1 includes at least one time of mania. Times of depression often happen too. Bipolar 2 includes hypomania and times of depression, without mania.
A psychiatrist looks at your mood over time, not at one bad day. They ask about past highs and lows, sleep, and what happened in between. They ask about family history, physical health, alcohol, drugs and medicines.
Other conditions can look similar, so these are checked too. With your agreement, someone who knows you well can add what they have seen.
Diagnosis can take time. You can ask what supports the diagnosis and what is still uncertain.
Care often combines medicine, talking therapy and steady daily routines. Mood medicines can treat an episode or lower the chance of another one. Talking therapies made for bipolar disorder can help you spot early signs and plan for them.
The plan during a high, a low and a calm stretch can be different. Ask which part of the plan is for which problem.
You can also ask what happens if you wait, or if you say no. That choice belongs in the conversation too.
Yes, and you can raise them early. Weight gain, sleepiness, shakiness and sexual effects can all matter. Some medicines also need regular blood tests.
Lithium is often the first medicine suggested for long-term care. It needs regular blood tests, and it is unsafe to stop suddenly.
You do not need to wait until a side effect feels unbearable. Tell the prescriber how it changes your day. For example, you might say you struggle to wake up for work.
The choice of medicine should be made with you. A good discussion covers the purpose, the likely side effects and any tests.
Do not stop or change lithium or any other mood medicine without your prescriber. Stopping suddenly can raise the chance that an episode comes back. This is true even if you feel well.
The exception is signs of too much lithium: then skip the next dose and get emergency care now.
If a medicine worries you, bring it to a review. Say what you hope would change. If you and your prescriber agree to stop a medicine, it is usually lowered slowly. You both then watch for early signs.
Talk to your prescriber before you try for a baby, or as soon as you know you are pregnant. Some mood medicines carry risks in pregnancy. Stopping a medicine can carry risks too.
So the plan needs to be made together, ahead of time if possible. Mood can change quickly in the first weeks after birth. That is part of the plan as well.
Yes. You can ask for the reasons, say you disagree, and ask another psychiatrist for their view. Doctors and patients can weigh risks differently. A good consultation says so openly.
You have a right to clear information about your condition, your treatment plan and its known side effects. The law says this should be in a language and form you can understand. This is in section 22 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.
For a second opinion, bring a short summary of past episodes, medicines and side effects. Agree who will prescribe while you decide.
A diagnosis does not, by itself, take away your right to decide. In a serious crisis, specific legal safeguards apply.
You choose the goals that matter to you. It might mean steadier sleep or calmer relationships. It might mean study, parenting with support, or time for your interests. Work can be one goal, if you want it. It is not a measure of your worth.
Recovery can include hard days and losses. It is not a demand to be cheerful or busy all the time.
You and your psychiatrist decide, early on, who is involved and what is shared. Family can help notice changes or come to part of an appointment. Their role can be reviewed as things change.
Your health information is confidential under section 23 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. There are limits. Information can be shared with your care team. It can also be shared to protect someone from harm, or if a court or authority orders it.
Yes. A crisis plan is a conversation you have while you are well. Write down your own early signs. These might be sleeping less, talking faster, spending more or pulling away from people.
Note what helps and who to call. Note who looks after children, money or pets. During a high, doctors advise putting big decisions on hold until the high has passed.
You can share the plan with people you trust. Review it after each hard stretch.
A crisis plan is not the same as a legal advance directive. A legal directive has its own rules under sections 5 to 13 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The rights page explains the difference.
Children and teenagers need assessment over time by specialists in young people's care. Parents or carers are usually involved. The young person still needs a clear explanation and a voice.
You can ask through the contact page. The mood and bipolar assessment page explains how an assessment works. Fees are listed on the services page. Check the clinician, the format, the fee, and whether the service fits your needs.