What is the treatment for Bipolar Affective Disorder ?
Treatments include: • Medicines that aim to prevent episodes of mania, hypomania and depression. These are called ‘mood stabilizers’. You take these every day, long-term. • Treating episodes of mania, hypomania and depression when they occur. A. Lithium Lithium is the most commonly used medication for Bipolar Affective Disorder. It comes as a tablet and has been used for many years. However, it is not clear how it works. It is used to treat episodes of mania, hypomania and depression. It is also taken by many people long-term as a ‘mood stabilizer’ to prevent episodes. Lithium often works well, but does not work in all cases. It tends to prevent episode of mania better than episodes of depression. One problem with lithium is that the dose for an individual has to be ‘just right’. Too low a dose has little effect. Too high a dose and side-effects can be a problem. So, if one take lithium, one need to have blood tests from time to time to check the dose is just right for you. B. Anticonv
